Caramelized Pear-Marzipan Tart with Cardamom Crème Chantilly & Pistachio Ice Cream

Serves 8

• One pint pistachio ice cream
  

Tart

• 6 ripe pears, peels and cut into 16 wedges
  
• 1 frozen rolled or folded pie crust (i.e. not in a pie tin) (or substitute with almond crust).
  
• 4 T butter
  
• 1 T sugar
  
• 1 tsp lemon juice
  
• Kosher salt
  
• ½ to ¾ of a package of Marzipan (optional, you may add the almond flavor, if desired by doing any of the following: adding almond extract to the pears when you sauté them, or by substituting the almond crust for the pre-made one).
  

Cardamom Crème Chantilly

• 8 oz whipped cream
  
• ¼ - ½ tsp cardamom
  
• ½ tsp vanilla
  
• 2-4 T confectioner's sugar
  

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place crust in an 8" or 9" non-stick tart pan with removable bottom. Do not trim overhanging dough. Form marzipan into a ball and place between two pieces of wax paper, and roll out as thinly as you can such that it forms a disk that will cover the bottom of the tart pan. Place marzipan on top of crust already in tart pan.

Melt butter in sauté pan. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves. Add pears and lemon juice and sauté until pears are soft (a few minutes), and the liquid is starting to thicken. Taste liquid and add a pinch of salt, and more lemon juice or sugar to taste. Remove pears from pan with a slotted spoon, and turn off heat. Do not discard liquid. Place pears into tart pan. Arrange if desired. Turn heat back on liquid, and reduce until bubbly and starting to caramelize. Using a rubber spatula, remove from pan and distribute over pears—it will melt in the oven and distribute itself a little more widely. Fold excess crust over the pears, and begin pinching it together, sort of like you're making a "satchel" of pear tart. It will likely come over onto the pears about 1-1.5 inches. This makes it easier to remove the tart, and also will yield a more evenly cooked crust. Bake in center of oven for 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden.

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Add in vanilla extract (or do half vanilla, half almond), sugar and cardamom. Continue adding sugar and cardamom to taste. Cardamom is a very strong spice. If you don't use it frequently start by adding only 1/8^th of a teaspoon, and gradually add more according to your preference.

Serve tart warm or cold with cardamom crème, and one scoop pistachio ice cream.

My thoughts: I did not think that the marzipan added much—if anything, even when I tried the tart by itself. There is already a very strong marzipan-y taste in the pistachio ice cream. Next time I make something like this, I will not add the marzipan, rather I will just add some almond extract to the pears. If I am feeling ambitious, I will make the almond crust. The almond crust is amazing and idiot-proof, but it does make the dessert a little more labor-intensive. As it is, it is a very easy dessert.