Pear & Marzipan Tart

Leftovers are the thing these days, right? A recent magazine I read had a recipe for Christmas Cake Alaska, which sounds more complicated than making the original cake! Plus, how do you have leftover Christmas cake? It lasts forever, and we're still happily munching our way through ours. I wouldn't even dare try and disappear with a chunk of it!

Anyway, if I am trying to use up leftovers, I use (a) something that will actually go off and (b) as little effort as possible. Sometimes the results are surprisingly good.

Pear & Marzipan Tart

The photography is not surprisingly good. Sorry.

lump of leftover pastry
lump of leftover marzipan
1 pear

Roll out pastry to line a suitable dish (I used a Pyrex lid about 6 inch diameter).
Roll out the marzipan to fit in the base of the pastry case.
Peel, core and slice the pear, and arrange the slices on top of the marzipan.
Bake for about 20 minutes at 180C / 350F until the pastry is done and pears are soft.
Serve with a lump of leftover ice cream, if you have any!

Comments

Trent Valley: the march of the pylons

In the 1980s, the River Trent supplied the cooling water for fifteen coal-fired power stations, each one gobbling up coal from the local mines and quenching its heat with gallons of river water. The area was known as Megawatt Valley . As the 20th century gave way to the 21st, the mines closed, the coal trains stopped running, and the iconic cooling towers, one by one, fell to the ground. The high-voltage electricity lines which connected the stations to the grid are still there, however, and they dominated the walk I did today. The stately silhouettes of pylons stalked across the landscape, carrying fizzing power lines which sliced up the sky. At one point, I was within view of two of the remaining sets of cooling towers. Diving further back into history, I parked by Swarkestone Lock on the Trent & Mersey Canal, walked past St James' Church, and arrived at Swarkestone Bridge, a 14th-century causeway which still, remarkably, carries traffic today. It was famously the southernmos...

The Churnet Way: a wonderful walk

The loop from Oakamoor to Froghall and back was one of the most enjoyable walks I've done in a long time. It had a bit of everything: woods, ponds, rivers and railways; steep climbs and sweeping views; an unusual church, an ex-industrial wharf, and, as a final bonus, car parks with toilets. Of course, the sunny weather helped too. I parked in Oakamoor and set off along a quiet lane called Stoney Dale. This is the route of the Churnet Way, which deviates away from the river for a couple of miles. After a while I turned right and climbed up through the woods on a gravelly path, then dropped down to the B5417. a spring in Oakamoor Crossing the road, I entered Hawksmoor Nature Reserve. It has some fine gateposts commemorating John Richard Beech Masefield, "a great naturalist". I found a photo of the opening of the gateway in 1933; unsurprisingly, the trees have grown a lot since then! A track took me down through the woods to East Wall Farm. Lovely view! Nice duck pond as ...

Theo Alexander

The due date was fast approaching, and, having had Toby five weeks early, this pregnancy was feeling like it had dragged on far too long. On Sunday morning, two days before D-Day, we went to church, wearily confirming to eager enquiries that yes, we were still here, no baby in tow yet. And then, at 3:30 am on the morning of Monday 10th February, my waters broke and things began to get moving. Fast. Yes, I know I had to apologise to you ladies who have gone through long-drawn-out labours last time , and I'm afraid I have to do it again. The change in the midwife's attitude when we got to the hospital was almost comical; she breezed in and put the monitors on and said, "I'll just leave those for a few minutes, then". Back she came for a proper examination, had a quick feel, and: "OK, we'll get you to the delivery room RIGHT NOW," followed by a mad dash down the corridor in a wheelchair! Our new little boy was born at 5:16 am. You...

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog