These delicious pear and blue cheese tartlets would be perfect for a starter for a dinner party.
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 250 g8¾ oz plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 125 g4½ oz chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp cold water
For the filling:
- 1½ g unsalted butter
- 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 150 g5¼ oz blue cheese, crumbled
- 100 g3½ oz walnuts, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan then chopped
- 3 tbsp walnut oil
For the onion marmalade:
- 40 g1½ oz unsalted butter
- 400 g14 oz onions, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method: How to make Individual pear and blue cheese tartlets
Preheat the oven to 200C/ gas mark 6.
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
Add the cubed butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix the egg yolks with 3 tablespoons of water then pour the egg mixture into the centre of the flour mixture.
Stir with a fork to bring everything together into a fairly firm, smooth dough. If it is too dry add the remaining tablespoon of water.
Knead lightly for a few seconds to make it homogenous. Then shape the dough into a cylinder. Wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
To make the onion marmalade melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan, add the onions and cook slowly, stirring frequently, until golden and caramelised. This can take up to 1 hour. Add the vinegar, raise the heat and boil for 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix well. Season to taste and cook for 5 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick and cut out 4 x 14cm circles. Use them to line 4 x 10cm tart tins and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once chilled, remove from the fridge and prick the base all over lightly with a fork, then take a large piece of baking parchment, scrunch it up, unfold and use to line the pastry case. Fill the pastry case right to the top with baking beans, place the tin on a hot baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is dry to the touch. Remove the pastry from the tins and place carefully on a baking tray.
Divide the onion marmalade between the pastry cases. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the pear slices and toss briefly to coat with the butter, then arrange them on top of the marmalade. Scatter the cheese over the tartlets, top with the walnuts and drizzle with the walnut oil.
Put the tartlets into the oven at 160C/ gas mark 3 and bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is golden brown. Serve warm.
