Cranberry-Pear Tartlets with Cranberry Ice Cream
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3 cups water
- 3 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups golden raisins
- 3/4 cup dried currants
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 cinnamon stick, cracked
- 10 firm but ripe pears, such as Bartlett or Anjoupeeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
- 1/3 cup ice water
- Mint sprigs, for garnish
- In a large saucepan, combine 5 cups of the cranberries with the water and 1 3/4 cups of the sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Cook over moderate heat until the cranberries split, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Pour the cranberries into a colander set over a bowl without pressing on the solids; reserve the cranberry syrup.
- In a blender, chop the cooked cranberries with 1/2 cup of the sugar.
- With the machine on, pour in 1 cup of the reserved cranberry syrup and puree until smooth.
- Strain the cranberry sauce in a fine sieve and refrigerate until chilled.
- Combine the heavy cream with the cold cranberry sauce and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
- In a saucepan, combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar with 3 tablespoons of the cranberry syrup and stir until the sugar is moist and pink.
- Cook the sugar over moderate heat, brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet brush, until a light amber caramel forms, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup of the cranberry syrup, gently swirling until blended.
- Add the remaining 3 cups of cranberries to the caramel sauce and cook over moderate heat, gently pressing the cranberries against the sides of the pan, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the raisins and currants and transfer the compote to a large bowl.
- In a saucepan, combine the remaining cranberry syrup with the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil.
- Add the pears, cover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Let cool slightly, then strain the pears.
- Discard the vanilla and cinnamon.
- Stir the pears into the compote.
- Reserve 1 cup of the pear cooking liquid for serving.
- (You can reserve the remaining cooking liquid for poaching fruit at a later time.)
- In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and pulse to blend.
- Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is the size of peas.
- Add the ice water and process just until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it several times.
- Shape the dough into a log that is 3 inches wide.
- Wrap the log in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
- Unwrap the dough and cut it into 12 rounds.
- Working with 1 at a time, roll each piece of dough out to a 6-inch round.
- Transfer the rounds to 4-by-1-inch fluted tartlet pans with removable bottoms, pressing the dough into the corners.
- Trim the edges and prick the bottoms several times with a fork.
- Refrigerate the tartlet shells until chilled.
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Line the tartlet shells with foil and fill the foil with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake for about 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the tartlet shells from the oven and remove the foil and weights.
- Bake the tartlet shells for about 20 minutes longer or until golden.
- Let the shells cool completely on a wire rack.
- Unmold the tartlet shells and set them on small plates.
- Fill the shells with the fruit compote.
- Spoon a scoop of the cranberry ice cream alongside each tartlet and spoon the reserved poaching liquid over top.
- Garnish the tartlets with mint sprigs and serve.
cranberries, water, sugar, heavy cream, golden raisins, currants, vanilla bean, cinnamon, bartlett, flour, sugar, salt, unsalted butter, water, sprigs
Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cranberry-pear-tartlets-with-cranberry-ice-cream (may not work)