Roquefort and walnut tart with pear crisp

Virginia, author of the food blog Sweet&Sour, invites us to make a delicious shortcrust tart with a combination you'll love: Roquefort cheese, walnut and pear. The preparation is simple and the results exquisite. You can't miss it!

We're already looking forward to spring and the longer, warmer days that will allow for slightly more informal meals. So this savory tart is a good example. It's one of those recipes that, as I say, "fits any occasion," because you can use it as a single dish for an informal dinner, accompanied by a simple salad, or as a starter for a more formal meal.

In any case, it's easy to make and you can have it ready in advance, because you can enjoy it at room temperature.

Pallarès carbon steel knife and mini-casserole Le Creuset

Shortcrust pastry is, as you know, simple and the touch of walnut pairs very well with the filling. The filling is smooth and creamy, with the more intense note given by the Roquefort cheese, which despite its intensity is toned down and doesn't overpower the flavor of the other ingredients. Blue cheese pairs perfectly with the walnut shortcrust and the crispy pear topping. It will, as I say, make you look like a queen.

You can substitute the Roquefort with another cheese you prefer, like a gorgonzola, stilton, or cabrales, but with character, because since the filling is so creamy its intensity will be softened.

I made it with the De Buyer rectangular tart pan with removable base, which to my taste is ideal for this type of presentation, as it strays from the classic round presentation and since it's nonstick and has a removable base it allows you to bring it straight to the table without risking damaging the pastry.

Let's get to the recipe for this pear and Roquefort tart!

INGREDIENTS (For a 36x10cm rectangular pan)

For the walnut shortcrust pastry:

• 210gr all-purpose flour
• 40gr ground walnuts
• 125gr very cold butter cut into small cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons ice water
• 1 beaten egg to seal the pastry when blind baking.

For the filling:

• 225gr cream cheese type Philadelphia
• 150gr liquid cream 35% m.f.
• 3 eggs "L" at room temperature
• 175gr Roquefort cheese*
• 40gr shelled walnuts coarsely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Le Paludier fleur de sel (sparingly)
• Fresh thyme leaves

For the Crispy Pear Slices and Fried Walnuts Topping:

• 4-6 very thin slices of Conference-type pear
• Sugar
• 6 Walnuts
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Walnut Oil "La Tourangelle"

PREPARATION

Prepare the walnut shortcrust pastry:

You can do it by hand, or with a stand mixer like Kitchen Aid.
If you do it by hand, put the flour, walnut flour and salt on the work surface and mix, add the very cold butter cut into small pieces and mix with your fingertips so as not to overheat the dough. Make a well in the center, like a crater, and pour in the lightly beaten egg yolk. Mix with your fingertips without overworking the dough. If necessary, add the water, first one tablespoon and then, if the dough still doesn't come together in a ball, the other. Every flour is different and doesn't absorb the same amount of water, and eggs aren't all the same size.

If you do it with a food processor or a stand mixer like Kitchen Aid, put all the ingredients into the bowl except the tablespoons of water, and in the same order they appear. Pulse in short intervals until you have a breadcrumb-like texture. Adjust the texture with the remaining water, it should be just moist enough to come together. If it's too dry and the crumbs don't stick, add the water tablespoon by tablespoon and mix.

Roll the dough into a thick sheet, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

When you're ready to make the tart, prepare your De Buyer rectangular tart pan with removable base by lining the base with baking paper, and spray the pan with Brikman nonstick baking spray. The pan is nonstick, but I like to do this as a precaution.

Roll the dough between two sheets of cling film or baking paper to a thickness of 0.6 mm. I used the Joseph Joseph adjustable rolling pin because it allows me to easily give the same thickness to the whole dough so it bakes evenly.

Place the dough in the pan and press it gently into the sides, but without stretching it so it doesn't shrink when baked. Prick the base lightly with a fork and place it, well covered, in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC top and bottom heat.

This pastry will be blind baked, meaning it will be baked beforehand without the filling. For this, remove the pan with the dough from the freezer and cover with baking paper. Add some dry legumes or, which is very practical and specially designed for this purpose, some baking ceramic beads -which save you from throwing away legumes every time!-, and bake for about 10-12 minutes.

Joseph Joseph adjustable rolling pin, De Buyer nonstick baking tray and baking ceramic beads

Remove from the oven and take off the paper and weights. Return to the oven and bake another 5-7 minutes, until the base is completely dry.
Now seal the pastry base so the creamy filling doesn't make it soggy and lose its flakiness. How? Take it out and brush the base with beaten egg and bake another 7 minutes, until it looks shiny. Let cool before adding the filling.

Let's make the filling:

In a bowl pour the Philadelphia cheese and beat it until softened, add the cream and mix well. Then add the eggs one by one until well incorporated; crumble the Roquefort and add it to the mixture.

Mix well with a silicone spatula spoon, so it doesn't break up too much and you can still find bits of cheese in the tart bites. Then fold in the chopped walnuts. Finally season carefully with salt and pepper, since the cheese is already quite salty, and add the fresh thyme leaves. Pour this mixture over the prebaked crust.

Mini-casserole Le Creuset, De Buyer nonstick baking tray and De Buyer rectangular tart pan with removable base

Place on a De Buyer nonstick baking tray and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden and beginning to puff.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. When cold, unmold carefully. I recommend using the pan base to transfer it to the serving platter or board so it doesn't break.

To prepare the crispy pear slices:

It's simple: just cut them very thin, almost transparent; I recommend using a mandoline. I have the De Buyer mandoline swing and it's fantastic. Sprinkle the pear slices with a little sugar and place them on baking paper on the same De Buyer nonstick tray. Bake at the same time as the tart, or until golden and crisp.

Just before serving the tart, heat a pan with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and fry some walnut halves until they're almost black. Don't be afraid, they won't taste bitter.

We serve the tart with the crispy pear slices on top, and a fried walnut. We drizzle the Set with a splash of Walnut Oil "La Tourangelle" and serve with a green arugula salad.

This tart is delicious at room temperature, better than cold, but if you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge and before serving give it a quick reheat in the oven.

Tips:

- If you have a Kitchen Aid, you can make the first part of the filling up to the addition of the Roquefort with it, fitted with the paddle attachment. The process is very quick and gives very even results.

Enjoy.
Virginia