Fall pie | Pears, cardamome and chocolate

My sweet hunny bunny, 

Fall is coming and with it, I am craving for pies*, seasonal fruits and spices. Last year, I baked this -clic- with pears, and I did it again! I am quite proud of the result, considering the great balance of flavors, not too sweet nor heavy. The cardamom whipped cream works perfectly with the super sweet caramelized pears and the bitterness of the dark chocolate (Gordon Ramsey was here!). Anyway, it was quickly gone and for once, I couldn’t blame it on the Cher-et-Tendre!

*meaning that you are going to see a lot of these around here this fall!

For the extra yummy fall recipe, follow me, c’est par ici:

The crust (“pâte brisée sucrée)

• 2 cup flour
• 1 stick cold butter in chunks
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 3.4 fl oz water

In a medium bowl, “sable” the flour, salt and butter (“sable” is a term in French pastry that means you have to work the flour and butter between your fingers so that the butter gathers up the flour (not the opposite. You must not squeeze the chunks too hard, to avoid the heart of your fingers to melt the butter). When it has the consistency of sand, add the rest of the ingredients in the middle of the mix. Use your fingers to make a dough. Wrap in cellophane and set aside in the fridge.

Cardamom whipped cream, part. 1

• 2x 100 ml heavy whipping cream
• 10 cardamom pods

Heat half of the cream with the cardamom pods (or seeds) to boiling, in a small saucepan. Let brew until cold. 

Caramelized pears “balls”

• 2 pears
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

In the meantime, use a “melon baller” (or “cuillère parisienne” in french) and ball the pears. In a small pan, make a caramel with the sugar and the butter and caramelize the balls in it, until soft and brownish. Set aside to let cool. 

Baking the crust

Preheat the oven to 360°F and blind bake the crust for 25 minutes.

Dark chocolate whipped ganache

• 200 ml heavy whipped cream
• 200 g (1.5 cu) dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp de butter

Melt the chocolate in the cream over a bain-marie. When it’s completely melted, remove from the heat, add the butter and start whipping, using an electrical mixer, until cold and fluffy. Place in a pastry bag and keep in the fridge. 

Cardamom whipped cream, part. 1

• 2x 100 ml heavy whipped cream

Pour the other half of the cream in a large bowl and place in the freezer with the blades of the mixer. Filter your infused cream to remove all the pods and mix it with your cold cold cream. Beat until fluffy and place in the pastry bag. (I voluntarily didn’t add any sugar to this one, but if you like your desserts extra sweet, feel free to add some powdered sugar in it!)

Montage

• a couple of mint leaves
• a couple of cardamom pods

When the crust is cold, spread some chocolate ganache and place the balls. Pipe both creams in various sizes. Finish by decorating with mint leaves and cardamom pods.

Enjoy’!