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Chefs of the Evening

Pear Tart and Kumquat Cheesecake

Pear Tart

Ingredients

  • Crust
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • Filling
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 4 cups peeled pears, sliced thin
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds (This tops the torte beautifully, but I have omitted it often, and it’s still delicious.)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour.
  2. Press into bottom of a 10-inch-deep dish pie pan.
  3. Mix cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla.
  4. Pour into pastry-lined pan.
  5. Toss together pear, sugar and cinnamon.
  6. Arrange over cream cheese mixture as desired.
  7. Sprinkle almonds on top.
  8. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and 350 degrees for 25 more minutes. Allow to cool before removing from pan.

—Recipe courtesy Mary Anne & Eberhard Neutz

Kumquat Cheesecake

Crust:

5 1/2 oz graham crackers

2 1/2 oz sugar

4 oz butter

Cheesecake:

1 lb cream cheese

8 oz mascarpone 

6 1/2 oz sugar

3 1/2 oz sour cream

4 eggs

3 oz heavy cream

8 oz slightly warmed kumquat marmalade

Ganache:

8 oz chocolate

6 oz heavy cream

candied kumquat slices

Mix the crumbed graham crackers with the sugar and warm butter until it forms a ball. Spray a 10” cake pan and put parchment paper circle in the bottom. Apply the crumbs firmly and evenly over the bottom. Pre-bake for 5 minutes at 325.

Mix the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar with a paddle until completely smooth. Scrape sides often. Add sour cream and blend. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well between each egg. Add cream and marmalade and blend thoroughly.

Spray the sides of the cake pan and coat with sugar. Pour onto the prepared crust and place in a water bath. Bake in a 325 oven until set, about 1 1/4 hour. Check with a toothpick in the center until it is clean when removed.  When completely done, let cool completely and remove from the pan. Chill overnight. 

For the ganache, heat the cream in a saucepan almost to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Cool slightly and pour over the cheesecake, allowing decorative drips down the side. Place the candied cumquats over the top.

—Recipe courtesy Jim Burk