Apricot, Pear and Cranberry Tart
Grrrrrgh!
Course : Tarts
From: HungryMonster.com
Serves: 12
 

Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
                        CRUST
  55                    vanilla wafers (about 3 2/3 cups from a
  12                oz  box)
  1               Tbsp  plus
  1                tsp  finely chopped crystallized (candied)
                        ginger
  6               Tbsp  stick butter or margarine (not spread)
                        melted
                        FILLING
  3               Tbsp  sugar
  1               Tbsp  fresh lemon juice
  1               Tbsp  plus 1 tsp cornstarch
  3              large  ripe pears (about 2 lb) preferably Anjou
                        or
                        Bartlett (3 to 4)
     3/4           cup  thinly sliced dried apricots
     3/4           cup  fresh or frozen cranberries
  2                tsp  finely chopped crystallized (candied)
                        ginger
                        Glaze:
     1/4           cup  apricot preserves
 

Preparation:

Planning Tip: Can be made through Step 4 up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature or warm in a 350°F oven 10 minutes before proceeding with Steps 5 and 6. 1. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom (see Tip) with nonstick cooking spray. Have ready a small fine-mesh strainer. 2. Crust: Process cookies in food processor until reduced to fine crumbs (you should have 2 1/3 cups). Add ginger and butter and process until crumbs are moistened. Press over bottom and sides of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. 3. Filling: In a large bowl, mix 2 Tbsp sugar, the lemon juice and cornstarch until blended. Peel, halve and core pears. Cut crosswise in 1/4-in.-thick slices (you should have about 5 cups). Add to bowl and toss to coat with lemon-juice mixture. Add apricots, cranberries and ginger; toss to mix. Spoon evenly into cookie crust. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 Tbsp sugar. 4. Bake 1 hour or until filling starts to bubble around edges. (Check after 30 minutes. If top gets too brown, loosely cover tart with foil.) Cool on a wire rack until warm or room temperature. 5. Remove sides by placing tart pan on a small, sturdy bowl and letting pan sides fall down. Place tart on a serving plate. 6. Set strainer over a bowl. Melt preserves in saucepan over low heat or in microwave. Press through strainer; brush or spread with back of spoon over top of tart. Let set at least 10 minutes before serving. TIP: If you don't have a 9-in tart pan with removable bottom, substitute a 9-in. pie plat

 

Nutritional Information:

343 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (0% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 90g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 33mg Sodium