Description
A delicious and savory pear, walnut, and blue cheese tart featuring a crisp walnut-enriched pastry, caramelized shallots and chard, creamy gorgonzola custard, and tender roasted pears. This tart balances earthy, sweet, and tangy flavors making it a perfect sophisticated appetizer or light meal.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pastry:
- 50g walnut halves
- 150g plain flour
- 80g cold unsalted butter, chopped
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp cold water (optional, if dough is dry)
For the Filling:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus an extra 1-2 tsp for tossing pears
- 4 shallots, sliced into half-moons
- small bunch of sage, finely chopped
- 200g chard, stalks finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped
- 2 pears, halved, cored and sliced
- 3 large eggs
- Grating of nutmeg
- 150g crème fraîche
- 150g gorgonzola dolce or vegetarian alternative, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 50g walnut halves (for topping)
Instructions
- Make the Pastry Dough: Blitz 50g walnut halves in a food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add 150g plain flour and a large pinch of salt, pulse briefly to combine. Add 80g cold chopped butter and pulse until the mixture resembles large crumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and pulse until the dough just comes together, adding 1 tbsp cold water if it seems too dry. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in baking parchment, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook Shallots and Chard: Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add 4 sliced shallots, chopped sage, and chard stalks, cooking for 5-8 minutes until soft and starting to caramelize. Add the chard leaves, cook until wilted, then remove from heat.
- Prepare and Chill Tart Shell: Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of baking parchment to a thickness of about a £1 coin. Line a 20cm tart tin with the pastry and chill for 30 minutes until firm. Toss pear slices in 1-2 tsp olive oil and spread on a baking sheet.
- Blind Bake the Tart Shell and Roast Pears: Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan) / gas mark 5. Line the pastry with scrunched baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake shell and pears simultaneously for 15 minutes. Remove parchment and beans, then bake pastry for an additional 8-10 minutes until bottom is golden and crisp. Remove both from oven.
- Prepare Custard Filling: Lightly beat 3 eggs in a bowl, season with grated nutmeg, and whisk in 150g crème fraîche. Stir in 150g torn gorgonzola dolce or vegetarian alternative cheese.
- Assemble and Bake the Tart: Pour half of the custard mixture into the tart shell. Layer in two-thirds of the cooked chard mixture, then arrange roasted pear slices and remaining chard on top. Pour over the remaining custard mixture. Dot 50g walnut halves over the top. Bake for 28-30 minutes until the filling is golden and set.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the tart to cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Using cold butter and chilling the dough ensures a flaky, tender pastry.
- Blind baking the tart shell prevents a soggy bottom when adding the wet filling.
- Roasting the pears separately enhances their sweetness and texture.
- You can substitute gorgonzola dolce with a vegetarian blue cheese alternative if desired.
- Serve the tart warm or at room temperature with a green salad for a balanced meal.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Tart
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: European
Keywords: pear tart, walnut tart, blue cheese tart, savory tart, chard tart, vegetarian tart
