chocolate pear tart clueless as to what to do this valentine’s
chocolate pear tart
clueless as to what to do this valentine’s day? if you have a date, consider making it a baking date - try this! if you have no date, consider making this anyway, the pictures do no justice to how delicious it is.
part one - the brownie crust
we used the recipe straight from The Joy of Vegan Baking, so either buy that book (it’s great, really!) or use this recipe, which is pretty similar. if using the alternate recipe, substitute any white sugar for dark brown sugar. spread a thin layer in a circular pan, it should be no more than a 1/4 inch high. we baked it until it was firm enough to hold toppings, but not so long that it burned. it took about 20-25 minutes, but it depends on your brownie recipe.
part two - the pears
the fun part! start out with two ripe pears. they should be a little springy when you squeeze them. don’t get ones that are rock hard, as they won’t be soft enough to eat, even after you bake them.
slice them into medallions.
then, using the image below as a guide, cut each slice into a heart shape. :)
save all the scraps from these, also save the slices that have seeds in them. we’ll use that later in the sauce. once you’re done carving your slice, place it in a rosé wine bath to soak. if you don’t want to use alcohol, use a fruit juice, like cranberry.
when the plate’s full, move the hearts into a little bowl for the time being.
part three - the sauce
this sauce is so, so good, and even better, i made it up all on my own!
put in your food processor:
- all of the pear scraps you created, keeping in mind to cut out the seeds and discard them
- 2 tbsp vegan cream cheese
- 1/4 cup rice milk
- 2-3 tsp brown sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- a squeeze or two lemon juice
when you grind it as much as you can, it should still be a little lumpy. pour it into a sauté pan and let it stew, covered on medium-high heat, for a minute or two. pour back into your food processor and blend until it’s a creamy consistency.
at this point, your brownie crust should be solid, so layer on the sauce first and then layer on your pear hearts in a circular pattern. bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the pears start to brown & curl.
we kind of made a huge mistake while baking this - we forgot to put the sauce in before the pears. either way, it was amazingly scrumptious, but it will look prettier if you do a crust-sauce-pear layer strategy :D
we’ll be doing more valentine dessert in the future (yes we realize it’s a greeting card holiday but we love dessert so back off) so what do you want to see? bon bons? chocolates? let us know, please?
