Endeavor No. 1- Pear, Goat Cheese, and Onion Tart

A few days ago, I was stricken with the inspiration to create as my first culinary masterpiece a savory something of my own invention: A Pear-and-Goat Cheese Tart with Caramelized Onions. I happened upon this whim because these items were in my refrigerator, and we (my mother and I) needed something to bring to some friends’ house for dinner. In the end, with a lot of help from my mom, it was a highly successful and fairly brief undertaking. As I am new at recipe-creation, I did a very poor job of noting the specifics of ingredient quantities and cooking times, and for this I do apologize. I will try my very best to make accurate estimations. Here it is, my very first recipe:

Ingredients:

Crust:

• one cup, plus one tablespoon flour
• one stick, minus one tablespoon frozen butter
• a couple of large handfuls of extra sharp cheddar cheese
• a little water

Filling:

• approximately one cup of chopped pears, cooked until a little brown outside, and tender but not mushy
• about half an onion, preferably red, caramelized.
• 4 or 5 or maybe more oz. goat cheese, cut into small chunks
• a small handful of freshly grated, or shredded Parmesan cheese
• fresh ground pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme (which we didn’t include originally, but which Mrs. Sheila Kelly later suggested )
• cream or half-and-half to brush over the crust

Directions:

Crust:

Note: This would likely work with any other pie crust recipe, as long as the cheddar is incorporated well.

1. Cut the frozen butter into half-tablespoon sized chunks, place in food processor with metal blade attachment.
2. Add flour and process until the sound becomes uniform and no longer clunky, or until contents resemble small-pea-sized bits of butter coated in flour or have an oatmeal-like consistency. (Listen well– do not over-process, as this will make the crust hard rather than flaky.)
3. Add cheese, then while running the food processor, add water in a small stream a little at a time until dough begins to clump and ball up. Very little water is needed, maybe between 1/8 and 1/4 cup.
4. Roll into uniform circle on well-floured countertop; thickness is less important than diameter, which will vary depending upon the size of your pie pan, but should be about 12 in. for a 8-9 in. pan. Transfer rolled crust into pie pan, letting excess hang evenly over the edge.

Assembly and Baking:

1. Spread onions over the pie crust, then adding the pears, Parmesan, and goat cheese. Sprinkle pepper and thyme to taste.
2. Fold crust over the contents of the tart, so that the fold occurs approximately where the pie plate begins to slope upward. The crust will not meet in the middle, and the result will be what looks like an oculus in the center of the tart. Brush cream or half-and-half over the exposed crust.
3. Bake in a 375° oven until top is golden. Serve warm. 6-8 servings.