MEDLAR CHIBOUST

A small tart made of a sweetened shortcrust pastry, a pain de gênes biscuit, a medlar compote (cooked and raw medlars) and a Chiboust cream.

Makes 4 servings,

The Chiboust Cream :
The day before
For the pastry cream
- 125 gr milk
- 2 egg-yolks
- 10 gr sugar
- 10 gr flour
- 5 gr starch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla (liquid)
- 10 gr butter
- 1,5 sheet gelatin ( 3 gr)
For the meringue
- 2 egg-whites
- 45 gr sugar

Prepare the pastry cream :

Hydrate the gelatin in cold water. In a bowl, beat the sugar with the yolks, then add the flours. Mix well and add the vanilla flavor.

Warm the milk a in sauce pan, then pour it over the previous mixture, mix quickly. Then put back this mixture in the pan and cook until it thickens. Pour the cream back in the bowl and mix in the butter until it's homogeneous...

When still hot, add the gelatin (strained) and mix again until it's combined. Cover with plastic film in the surface and allow to cool down in the fridge. Meanwhile, prepare the meringue. Beat the egg-whites until stiff , then add the sugar and beat again until smooth...

Remove the pastry cream from the fridge and fold in delicately the meringue. Pour in molds (10 cm diameter, 2 cm high). level the top with a spatula and put in the freezer for the night.

The Pain de Gênes Biscuit :
The day before
- 30 gr ground almonds
- 20 gr icing sugar
- 1 whole egg
- 12 gr butter (melted and warm)
- 10 gr flour
- pinch of baking powder
- some flaked almonds.

In a bowl, mix the ground almonds, the sugar and beat with the egg. Combine with the butter, and then mix in the flour.

Pour this batter (0,5 to 1 cm thick) over an oven tray lined with baking paper and scatter some flaked almonds. Put preheated oven (medium heat) for 10 minutes. Allow to cool down and reserve wrapped in plastic film.

The Sweetened Shortcrust Pastry :
The dough can be prepared the day before, and baked the serving day.
- 130 gr flour
- 80 gr butter (softened)
- 40 gr icing sugar
- 27 gr egg
- 13 gr ground almond

Cream the butter with the sugar, the mix in the egg and the ground almonds...

Add the flour. Do not over mix the dough. Roll it out 3 mm thick over baking paper.

Wrap it in plastic film and allow to rest 1 hour or better for the night.

Take the dough out of the fridge, allow to warm up a little bit. Then place in the tart pans (10 cm diameter 2 cm high). Put in preheated oven (medium heat) for 10 minutes. Then remove the pan and put back in the oven for 5 minutes more. Reserve.

The Medlar Compote :
- 400 gr medlars (cored and peeled)
- 25 gr sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice (or lemon juice)

Clean, peel and core the medlars. We need about 400 gr flesh. Cut in small cubes and cook half of it with the sugar and the lime juice for about 15 minutes. Here we need a compote not too dry. When done, add the raw medlars flesh out of the heat. Leave to cool down.