Pear, Bacon, Herbs de Provence & Parmesan Tart
I have been behaving myself- well, with regards to what I have been eating at least wink emoticon , since I got back from Sicily at the beginning of the year... but this evening, I decided to treat myself and make something a little naughty.
Yes, there is a handful of bacon in there- and yes, that is puff-pastry... but yes... it was delicious and it was worth it! And at the end of the day, it wasn't really all THAT naughty after all... as you will see...
love playing with sweet and savory ingredients, like pear, bacon and cheese in this case- and combining them with herbs and baking them in crispy, flaky, puff-pastry, was just the right way to make them come to life and come together this evening. And so I did.
As you can see here, it really didn't take much to make this tart- just 1 pear, literally 1 handful of finely chopped, lean bacon, 1 Spring onion (or 3 in this case as they were reeeally little!), in all, about 1 handful of Parmesan cheese, and a handful of mixed herbs de Provence- rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, marjoram- just a little of each will do. A little pepper, a hint of nutmeg- and that was all!
1 little circle of puff-pastry and maybe 45 minutes of time... that is all you will need to transform those few, simple ingredients into a delicious thing of beauty like this! And to think... you can eat it and it is delicious too! It's almost too much to take in all at once! Haha!
Start off by turning on your oven first- you want it nice and hot to get that pastry to puff-up nicely.
Next, chop up the Spring onion very finely and then slice up your pear. Cut it into quarters, remove the seeds with a diagonal cut, then cut each quarter into 5-6 relatively thin slices.
Fry the onion together with the finely chopped bacon first, until it begins to turn translucent and the bacon begins to brown slightly, then add the pear slices, the herbs and a little pepper and nutmeg.
Let the pear gently begin to soften a little in that touch of bacon fat- just for 2-3 minutes, then set to one side to cool and get busy with your pastry.
Set your pastry out into a baking tray or dish, on baking paper if necessary, and sprinkle a thin layer of grated Parmesan on to it, before beginning to lay out the pear slices.
There is no actual need to lay out the slices this way... but it certainly looks prettier and it is more like good fun than it is hard work! Just pick up the slices, bacon and onion and all, and lay them out concentrically, then sprinkle the rest of the bacon, onion and herbs evenly on top. Finish with a little more Parmesan and pop into a hot oven, at 180°C, for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is baked-through, puffed-up and turned golden brown.
As you can see, as the pastry has raised-up, the pear slices have slightly wilted down, but that is due to the juice they have given off as they have baked and steamed in the oven- making them moist and juicy and delicious!
Together with the bacon, herbs and that hint of salty Parmesan, this is a dish with a few more calories maybe... but with plenty of smiles guaranteed! And smiling is good for you! Therefore- this is a healthy dish after all!
So- do you think you would like to try a slice?
Would you like a closer look before you decide?
Oh- just cut off a piece, give it a try and enjoy! You know you want to!
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