Wow, did this tart smack me upside the head and surprise me. I am so not a pistachio person. I don't hate them, but they're low on my list of go-to nuts, and I can't ever remember craving pistachios or pistachio flavored anything. And also, they're green. What is that about?
Imagine my surprise, then, when I fell in love with this pistachioriffic tart.
This tart had a pistachio crust (I added 1/4 c ground nuts to the dough), a pistachio pastry cream with bits of ground pistachios left in, and a topping of caramelized pistachios. I loved the triple-nut combination, and I could have been happy just eating that plain, without the poached pears on top.
I must admit, though, the pears were a nice touch. The recipe called for them to be poached in red wine, but since I don't drink wine, I poached them in a mixture of citrus rinds and crushed blackberries to give them a fruity aroma and, of course, the beautiful rose color. Here's what I didn't add: sugar. Oops! I was so caught up in squishing the berries with my hands (squeeeeeze the juiiiiiice! Bonus points if you say it in an Encino Man voice) I completely forgot the sugar. They turned out fine, although a little extra sweetness would have been nice, since these pears were not all that ripe.
Overall, though, stunning. Loved it. An elegant company dessert that can be made in advance and is fairly fast to assemble. This is the second Dorie pear tart to knock it out of the ballpark for me, I'm beginning to think the lady knows her pear desserts!
This dessert and my newfound pistachio obsession could not have come at a better time, because I have a nutty giveaway for you! The kind folks at Oh Nuts! have offered my readers a $25 gift certificate for the holidays. Have you seen their website? They offer 14 kinds of bulk pistachios, for crying out loud, and all sorts of other dried fruit, nuts, and candies.
So there are three ways to enter:
1. Go to the Oh Nuts Hanukkah gifts page or to the Christmas Nuts Gift page. Choose your favorite Hanukkah Gift or Christmas Gift and leave a comment on this blog post with the name and url of the gift you love the most.
2. Go to the oh nuts facebook page become a fan and post on the wall the url and name of your favorite Hanukkah Gift or Christmas Gift. Be sure to also write "I am here via "Cake or Death." Then leave a comment here telling me you did this.
3. On Twitter, follow @ohnuts and Tweet either: " Win a free Hanukkah Gift from http://bit.ly/6nIsCi Follow @ohnuts & Retweet to enter. " OR: “ Win a free Christmas Gift from http://bit.ly/537HNp Follow @ohnuts & Retweet to enter.” Then leave a comment here telling me you did this.
That's a total of THREE possible entries in this giveaway! The drawing closes at midnight PST on December 14th, so there's plenty of time to get commenting, facebookin', and tweetin'. G'luck!
Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
10 years ago
Posts
That's just beautiful! I had to pass this week, posted Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies instead that I made a few weeks ago. The holiday put me way behind, just never had time! ;-/
ReplyDeleteThat is one sensational looking tart. I love pistachios in any form. What's wrong with being green? It ain't easy ;P
ReplyDelete(Won't enter the comp cos I don't think i'm eligible).
Your tart is beautiful and I'm sure delicious (even without the alcohol!) I totally changed this up, but for my "alcohol", I used POM juice! Great minds, eh.
ReplyDeleteI like when nuts are pared with chocolate, so my favorite gift would be like the Lucite Gift Tray!
http://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/christmas-nuts-gifts-baskets/lucite-gift-tray
Stunning is the perfect word for your tart. I love pistachios, so it's great to see that you came over to our team! I thought that the green pastry cream looked pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI like the Oh! Nuts Gift Tray (the one that looks like a little wooden crate). Nuts really are a great gift.
triple pistachio--i'm liking that a lot! looks like it was delicious!
ReplyDeleteYour tart looks beautiful. What a good idea to use berry juice - the color is amazing. I really loved making this tart. Enjoy the holiday baking.
ReplyDeleteWho wouldn't love Nuts and Chocolate paired together!?!?! Almost and tasty as pistachios and pears :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/lg-nuts-chocolate-line-up-gift-basket
You did a great job, it looks so pretty! I still haven't tried the first pear tart and I didn't get this one done either. I've gotta catch up on them!
ReplyDeleteI like the chocolate and dried fruit basket.
ReplyDeleteI like the chocolate and dried fruit basket.
ReplyDeleteYour tart looks gorgeous! I skipped this recipe, though I did make a Dorie recipe in it's place. Thanks for the giveaway...I loved the truffle basket. http://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/christmas-nuts-gifts-baskets/truffle-crunch-basket
ReplyDeleteAs always, your creation is beautiful! I always say "Oh!" when I open your page. Hooray for giveaways! I posted: I love the tradition of doughnuts mixed with the ruach of chocolate! I like the http://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/hanukkah-gifts-chocolate-baskets/menorah-dreidel-selection/dipped-donuts. I'm here via "Cake or Death".
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful tart! I like the Hanukah cookie set for kids.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/hanukkah-gifts/baskets/crayola-cookie-kit
I wrote on the wall on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI tweeted on Twitter!
ReplyDeleteI love the color of the tart, so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind giving/receiving the chocolate and nut basket:
http://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/christmas-nuts-gifts-baskets/xl-chocolate-nut-basket
Dried strawberries are my favorite!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/bulk-dried-fruits/strawberries-2/dried-strawberries
The blackberries gave those pears a wonderful color. Much better than the wine. Love the berry color with the pistachio. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI poached mine in honey so they were not very colorful.
The tart looks delicious! I've tasted Dorie's other pear tart, and loved it! Hope to try this on soon as well!! Love the pink on top :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks just lovely! Nice job.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of using the fruit juices to stain the pairs since I am not fond of the pears in wine. This is a stunning tart - you are hereby officially invited to Christmas dinner at my place. What? You are sorry you can't make it. Too busy with your own family that day? No problem, just send the tart!:-)
ReplyDeleteHazelnuts ensure a healthy heart and limit cholesterol levels in the body. Do you want to buy hazelnuts online? You can order hazelnuts naturally with allnuts. Everyone knows the hazelnut. This nut grows on a shrub native to Belgium and the Netherlands that we know as the hazel. The well-known shrub is found in all areas with a temperate climate. Perhaps less well known is that, according to some scientists, the hazelnut is related to the birch. Others prefer to treat the hazel as a separate plant family. Whatever the case, the hazelnut is in any case a nut from us. Just like the birch, the hazel bears the characteristic catkins in the spring. Hazelnoten
ReplyDeleteBrazil nuts are a blessing for your line and rich in proteins, vitamins and selenium. Do you want to buy Brazil nuts online? You can order Brazil nuts at Allnuts! The extremely healthy Brazil nuts are also known as Amazonian nuts or Brazil nuts. The name Brazil nut is derived from the Brazilian province of Para. This way we immediately know where these nuts come from. The trees on which these fruits grow are mainly found in Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. In addition, it is important to know that the trees stand mainly along the major rivers that flow through these countries: Amazon, Rio Negro, Rio Vaupés and the Orinoco. In addition, it is necessary that the trees are not in a flood area and can enjoy a temperature that averages 28 ° C. Paranoten
ReplyDelete