Pear, Roquefort And Rosemary French Tartlets

Course:

Appetizer

Practical information

Prep time

20 min
Cooking

30 min
Difficulty

Pause

2 h
Ready in

2 h 50
Price

Recipe
Comments (0)

These wonderful little tartelettes are made from a combination of ripe, sweet pears with tangy, sharp Roquefort blue cheese and aromatic rosemary.They make an excellent and very elegant starter; they are also wonderful if served as a light luncheon dish, with salads and chutney or pickles. The tartlets can be assembled several hours in advance - or even the night before - then chilled until you are ready to bake and serve them. I have stipulated shortcrust pastry - but puff pastry can also be used./ALTERNATIVE CHEESES : Stilton cheese or gorgonzola or blue vinney cheese or shropshire blue cheese or danish blue cheese or bleu d'auvergne cheese

Recipe's Ingredients

2 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon milk
2 large pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk
1 tablespoon crème fraîche
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaf, finely chopped + for garnish

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
salt
fresh ground pepper
250 g roquefort cheese
450 g shortcrust pastry
50 g salted butter

Recipe preparation steps
1

Put the blue cheese into a bowl and lightly crush or mash it. Whisk the egg whites until frothy and add them and the creme fraiche.
2

Add salt and black pepper to taste and mix it to a coarse paste.
3

Set aside and then chill.
4

Roll out the pre-prepared shortcrust or puff pastry. Using a plain or fluted 5" cutter, cut out four circles.
5

Put them on a lightly greased baking sheet and prick them all over with a fork.
6

Carefully spread the chilled blue cheese mixture all over them, leaving a border of about 1/2" to 3/4".Then sprinkle them with the finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves & store in the fridge.
7

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF
8

Gas 6.
9

Melt the butter in a shallow large pan & then add the pear slices, and about 3-4 tablespoons of water.
10

Cook gently for about 6-8 minutes until the pears are tender but still holding their shape. Allow to cool.
11

Arrange the pears over the chilled galettes in neatly overlapping circles and brush with a little melted butter.
12

Sprinkle over the cumin seeds and a few extra rosemary leaves, season with salt and pepper and bring the edges of the pastry up and over the edge of the pears, to form a loose crust.
13

Brush the tops of the galettes & the pastry with the beaten egg yolks & milk mixture.
14

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
15

Cool the tartlets slightly before serving with salads, pickles or chutney.
Ready !