Oregon Growers & Shippers Desserts

Featuring our Cranberry Pear Fruit Spread

This delicious tart sounds complicated to make but really is a snap. You will love the creamy custard filling and tart fruit filling.

For the Fruit Filling:
1- 12 oz. Jar of Oregon Growers & Shippers Cranberry Pear Fruit Spread
2-3 tablespoons orange juice

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons dark molasses
Raw rice or dry beans for weighing the crust

For the Custard Filling:
3 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

For the Custard topping:
Two peeled and thinly sliced Bosc or Anjou pears
1/4 cup fresh cranberries (optional)
1/4 cup sugar

Preparation:

For the filling:
Pour out 1 jar of Oregon Growers & Shippers Cranberry Pear Fruit Spread into a large bowl - gently stir in the orange juice until combined. - set aside and keep cool.

For the crust:
In a food processor blend together the flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and the salt - add the butter, and blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl stir together the egg yolk and molasses, add the wet mixture to the dry flour mixture, and pulse the motor, blending until it is combined well but still crumbly. Turn the mixture out into a 10-inch tart pan with a fluted removable rim and press it onto the bottom and up the side of the pan. Chill the crust for 30 minutes. Prick the crust with a fork, line it with foil, and fill the foil with the rice. Bake the crust in the lower third of a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, remove the foil and rice carefully, and bake the crust for 10 minutes more. Let the crust cool in the pan on a rack.

For the Custard Filling:
In a small bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, sour cream, milk, vanilla, orange zest, and a pinch of salt, then spoon the custard into the crust. Slice the pear in halve lengthwise, core, then into thin slices, arrange them decoratively on the custard. Sprinkle sliced pears with sugar and artfully arrange a few cranberries with the pears. Bake the tart in the middle of a preheated 325 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the custard is just set. Remove the rim of the pan and let the tart cool on a rack. When cooled spread an even layer of Oregon Growers & Shippers Cranberry Fruit Spread on the tart.

The tart may be made up to this point 8 hours in advance, cooled completely. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Featuring our Vanilla Pear Butter

serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 cup caramel sauce (made with 1/2 sugar and 1/2 cup heavy cream)
1/2 cup Oregon Growers & Shippers Vanilla Pear Butter

Preparation
Make caramel sauce in advance and let cool (see technique on following line)
*Boil cream, and hold warm.
*Put sugar in a sauce pan, dissolve with 1/2 cup water and place over medium high heat.
*Watch sugar as it comes to a boil and monitor closely.
*Sugar will turn to caramel and slowly go from clear to tan, and then to a darker color.
*As sugar darkens (but before it is dark brown) remove from heat
*VERY CAREFULLY whisk hot cream into caramel sauce pan (it will boil up during this step).
*Let caramel sauce cool.

Make the parfait:
In a food processor, lightly blend the ice cream, until it is a little soft.
Drizzle in caramel sauce.
Drop teaspoons of pear butter in as well.
Spoon parfait out into ice cream dishes and reserve in freezer until ready to serve.

Serve with whipped cream, sliced fruit and berries.

Notes
Be careful not to soften the ice cream too much.