Hairy Bikers Pear and Stilton Tart

Hairy Bikers pear and Stilton tart is a crisp shortcrust case filled with browned pear slices, crumbled Stilton, walnuts and a sage custard. With figs on the side, their BBC Food version serves 8 in about 2¼ hours, at roughly 650 calories a slice by my count.

Salty blue cheese, crunchy walnuts and sweet pears are a “magic combination”, as they write in Perfect Pies, where it’s 8 little Dolcelatte tarts. But the BBC Food version swaps in Stilton, adds a third pear and bakes it as one deep tart, served with roasted figs and honey.

The custard is the bit to take slowly, so beat it with a wooden spoon, as in Perfect Pies, to stop it going frothy. Then pour it in gradually over the cheese and pears, topping up once the first lot has settled.

Hairy Bikers Pear and Stilton Tart

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Lunch Starter

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time:1 hour Rest time: 45 minutesTotal time:2 hours 15 minutesServings:8 servingsCalories:650 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Buttery shortcrust is baked blind in a deep 20cm tin, then layered with Stilton chunks, golden fried Conference pears and broken walnuts. Once a peppery crème fraîche and sage custard has set around them, it’s sliced warm or at room temperature with honeyed figs.

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 300g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 175g cold butter, preferably unsalted, cut into cubes
• 1 free-range egg, beaten

For the filling

• knob of butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 medium Conference pears, peeled, quartered, cored and thickly sliced lengthways
• 3 free-range eggs
• 300ml crème fraîche
• 3 fresh sage leaves, finely shredded
• 150g Stilton, rind removed
• 40g walnuts, broken into small pieces
• flaked sea salt and black pepper

To serve

• 6 figs, ends trimmed and a cross cut in the top
• 2 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Make the pastry: Blitz the flour and butter in a food processor until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs. Then add the egg and pulse until it only just comes together, because over-processing makes the pastry tough.
2. Line the tin: Shape the dough into a rough ball on a floured surface, then roll it to 3mm thick, which the BBC page misprints as ½in. Then press it into a deep 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin, trim and prick the base, and chill for 30 minutes. And expect trimmings, since it’s the same batch the book uses for 8 small tarts.
3. Bake blind: Heat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6, then line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for 10 more, until pale golden brown.
4. Fry the pears: Turn the oven down to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3, then melt the butter with the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the pears for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until lightly browned, then drain on kitchen paper.
5. Mix the custard: Beat the eggs with a wooden spoon until smooth, not a whisk, which can make it frothy. Then stir in the crème fraîche and sage, seasoning with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper.
6. Fill the tart: Break the Stilton into chunks over the pastry, then add the pears and scatter over the walnuts. Pour in the egg mixture slowly, topping up once the first lot has settled, until it’s all in.
7. Bake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is just set. Then leave it for 15 minutes before carefully removing the tin.
8. Roast the figs: While the tart rests, roast the figs on a tray in the same oven until soft and caramelised, about 15 minutes by my timing. Then halve them so all 8 slices get some, which is my tweak since the recipe gives 6 figs, and drizzle with the honey.

FAQs

Can I make individual pear and Stilton tarts?

Yes, and that’s how the Perfect Pies version is made, as 8 little tarts in deep, loose-based individual tins. And the BBC Food recipe tips agree, so divide the pastry into 8 balls, roll each to 3mm and line the tins.

Neither source gives a tin size, so I’d use the deepest individual tins you have. In the book they bake blind for 20 minutes with beans and 10 without, then about 30 minutes at 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3½ once filled.

Can I use Dolcelatte instead of Stilton?

Yes, because the Perfect Pies tarts use the same 150g of cheese, just Dolcelatte, with 2 pears and 25g of walnuts. So only the fruit and nuts go up in the Stilton version, while the pastry and custard stay the same.

Any Stilton left over has a good home in their broccoli and Stilton soup. Or if you’ve got a bigger block to use up, their steak and Stilton pie is the hearty way to do it.

Is this the Mary Berry or James Martin pear and Stilton tart?

No, this is the Hairy Bikers recipe on BBC Food, featured in their Coming Home for Christmas series. So any Mary Berry, James Martin or BBC Good Food version is a different cook’s recipe, and I couldn’t find a Tesco version of theirs.

For the easy route, I’d treat it as stages, which is my own plan. So make the pastry first, then fry the pears and mix the custard while the case bakes blind.

How do I know when the tart is cooked?

The filling should be just set, with no more than a slight wobble in the middle. In Perfect Pies, their test for a similar tart is pressing the back of a teaspoon onto the centre, where no liquid should show.

If it’s still runny, I’d give it another 5 minutes and test again. And don’t skip the 15 minutes’ rest before you remove the tin, since I find a just-baked custard slices more cleanly once it has stood.

Can I serve it cold?

Yes, because the Perfect Pies tarts are served warm or cold, with the same custard as this one. Though I’d bake it on the day if you can, since the pastry is at its crispest then.

Leftovers should be chilled within 2 hours and eaten within 2 days, which is general food-safety advice rather than theirs. And if you like a set custard in a crisp case, their cheese and onion quiche is another savoury tart worth making.