Tart Attack!

Crostata di Pera e Coriandolo con Melograno, Pistacchio e Ricotta

Pear & Coriander Tart with Pomegranate, Pistachio  & Ricotta

You know that you would attack this beauty too- go on, admit it! So simple, but so pretty and made of great, seasonal fruits with a topping of whipped Ricotta cheese and sprinkled with pistachio- it is a delicious as it is beautiful!

And the craziest thing of all is that it only took 30 minutes to make... well, lets say an hour, allowing for time for it to cool down enough to be able to add the ricotta. But on the other hand- if I hadn't have wanted to take photos of it, I would have enjoyed it straight from the oven!

The only real prep-work involved here is turning on the oven to pre-heat it and sautéing the pear slices to partially cook them in advance. I tossed them in about a teaspoon of butter, no more, with a sprinkle of ground coriander, a little sugar, a pinch of salt and a tiny squeeze of lemon. After about 5 minutes, I deglazed the pan with a splash of pear liquor and added a drop of water... and after a further 5 minutes, the pear slices were translucent and perfectly cooked with still a little bit of bite- and ready for action!

I cut a circle of puff pastry and laid out the pear slices. I made sure to leave a gap in between each piece of pear and then when the pastry was covered, laid the next slices on top, being careful to also leave spaces in-between. The reason for this was that I wanted hot air to circulate between the pear pieces and to bake the pastry, rather then it becoming soggy from having too much surface area covered.

I baked it for around 15 minutes at 250°F until the pastry was puffed-up and golden brown... it was as easy as that! I took it out of the oven and let it cool off- but in the meantime I whipped up my ricotta ready for serving.

For the ricotta, I added a hint of lime juice, some Stevia (you can use sugar too of course) and a little milk, then whisked it for a good 3 minutes at the highest speed. This ensures that the Ricotta become smooth and creamy and light. Once the tart was cool, I added a generous sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, a big blob of Ricotta  and a sprinkle of pistachio splinters... very, very easy and totally delicious! And very much to be recommended!