Butternut Pear And Thyme Tart With A Walnut Pesto ... |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 16 |
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I had this dish while visiting Cape Town, South Africa and could not get it off my mind when I came back home. I searched the internet for something similar and came up with nothing. I finally wrote to the restaurant in hopes of maybe getting an idea of how it was made. Read more . The Green Dolphin kindly responded and sent me the recipe. With the great help of my friend Sherry, aka Minitindel, we deciphered ingredients, converted measurements, and tweaked it just enough to feel comfortable calling it my own. I would like to present this to a couple of friends that have their own restaurants and I would also like to enter it in a few cooking contests, such as Southern Living’s. Please let me know if you try this and what you might do different. This is a great first course and is served with baby spring greens. Enjoy! Ingredients:
for the filling |
1 butternut squash |
2 tsp minced garlic |
2 tbs butter |
cinnamon stick (about 2 inches broken in each squash half) |
2 tbs honey |
1/3 cup feta cheese |
3 eggs |
1/2 cup ricotta cheese |
and |
1/4 cup cream cheese |
or |
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese |
1/3 cup cottage cheese |
1 cup cake flour |
1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme |
1 large can of sliced pears, drained, reserving about 6 - 8 slices for garnishing (13.5 oz.can) |
for the crust |
1 sleeve ritz crackers, crushed |
1/3 to 1/2 cup melted butter |
for the pesto |
1 1/4 cups roasted walnuts |
4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese |
3/4 cup olive oil |
2 tsp salt |
freshly ground black pepper to taste |
1 tsp minced garlic |
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. This is the method I use for roasting the butternut squash:
3. Cut squash in half length-wise, remove seeds and strings.
4. Put three or four canning rings in bottom of 8 x 8 cake pan, fill with water just to the top of the rings and place squash on top of the rings.
5. Now, this recipe will only require one half of the squash, but I go ahead and prepare both halves the same.
6. Put cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp garlic, 1 Tbs butter and 1 Tbs honey in each half.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until soft.
8. Remove from oven and let cool.
9. Once cooled remove cinnamon sticks and place squash in large mixing bowl. The outside will just peel away when you lift it.
10. Add Feta cheese to the cooked squash and mash together.
11. With an electric mixer add butternut mixture with the rest of the cheeses and eggs.
12. Gradually add the flour, thyme and pear slices.
13. For the crust:
14. Mix crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter together then press into a deep pie dish going up the sides of the dish to resemble a crust.
15. Pour in the filling until flush to the top.
16. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until firm and toothpick comes out clean.
17. Let Cool
18. (This can be made in individual tart pans. If so, cooking time will be less)
19. For the Pesto:
20. Mix all ingredients together in food processor, adjusting any ingredients to your liking.
21. Cut tart into serving sizes, serve with micro salad, dress with pesto, garnish with a slice of pear.
22. Beautiful!
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