Pear and polenta torte

The tart is visually stunning and simple to make – the poached pears and pastry can be made a day in advance, which means that on the day of serving, assembly is all that's required. Serve with the poaching liquid reduced to a thick syrup or crème anglaise.

Pear and polenta torte Credit: Armelle Habib

• serves

  8

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  1:10 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 5 firm beurre bosc pears
• 1 egg, for egg wash
• pure icing sugar, for dusting
• crème anglaise (see Note), to serve

Poaching liquid

• 400 ml medium-bodied Italian red wine, such as Dolcetto or Nero d'Avola
• 180 g caster sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 2 strips lemon peel

Polenta pastry

• 180 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 150 g fine polenta
• 80 g caster sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• pinch of sea salt
• 200 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 3–4 tbsp iced water

Crème anglaise

• 150 ml full-cream milk
• 150 ml pure cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split in half and seeds scraped
• 4 egg yolks
• 50 g caster sugar

Cooling time: 4 hours (or overnight)

Instructions

1. Begin by making the poaching liquid for the pears. Combine the ingredients with 600 ml of water in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally to help the sugar dissolve, for 8–10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced slightly.
2. Remove the stems from the pears, then peel, halve and core them. Add the pear halves to the poaching liquid. Cut a piece of baking paper to the size of the pan and cut a hole in the middle, then carefully press the paper onto the surface of the pears (this stops the liquid evaporating too much and also keeps the pears submerged). Simmer the pears for about 20 minutes, until tender. To check, insert a knife into the thickest part of a pear. If there isn't much resistance, the pear should be ready. Begin checking the pears at around 15 minutes, as the timing will depend on the pears you are using and how firm they were to begin with. Allow them to cool in the poaching liquid (I do this overnight), then transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to dry. They need to be cooled and completely dry before you assemble the tart.
3. To make the polenta pastry, combine the flour, polenta, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl or on a clean work surface. Add the butter and toss it through the flour mixture to coat. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture is pebbly. You want to rub the butter into flatter pieces rather than into something that resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre, add the beaten egg yolks and start to gently incorporate the flour mixture into the egg to begin to form the pastry. Add the iced water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you can press the pastry dough together and there are no dry bits of flour left. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
5. Remove the pastry dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to make it easier to roll. Take two-thirds of the dough and roll it out on a floured work surface until it is about 3 mm thick. Gently lift the pastry and drape it into a 27 cm round fluted tin with a loose base. It is a rather fragile pastry, so if it tears, simply patch it up as you go. Arrange the cooled pear halves over the pastry base in a circular shape, flat-side down. Now roll out the remaining pastry to the same thickness and lay it over the pears, using your hands to shape it over the pear halves. Trim any excess overhanging pastry and press gently to secure the pastry edges together, tucking the edges into the tin a little.
6. Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the tart with the egg wash. Pierce two holes in the pastry top to allow for steam to escape, then transfer to the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the pastry is a sunny golden colour and cooked through.
7. Allow the tart to cool completely in the tin, then transfer to a serving plate and dust generously with icing sugar. 
8. To make crème anglaise, place the milk and cream in a saucepan, along with split vanilla pod and scraped seeds. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, taking care that the mixture doesn't start to boil. Allow the vanilla to infuse for 5 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks with sugar in a large bowl until frothy and a little lighter in colour. Pour the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, a few tablespoons at time to begin with, whisking constantly until combined.
10. Return the mixture to a clean saucepan and stir over low heat for 5–6 minutes, until the anglaise thickens and coats the back of a spoon – you should be able to run your finger through the anglaise without the custard pooling back into the centre of the spoon.
11. Strain the crème anglaise into a bowl set over ice to immediately cool it down, whisking every few minutes until just warm. Keep warm and use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
12. Serve slices at room temperature with crème anglaise. The tart is best eaten on the day it is made.

 

Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum (RRP $44.99). Photography by Armelle Habib.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.