Roquefort cream tart with roasted pear

Ingredients

1 roll just roll short crust pastry
250g cream cheese
50g Roquefort cream
100ml whipping cream
3 pears
50g unsalted butter

Method

1. Use 1 roll of just roll short crust dough and cut rings about 5cm larger than the 6 individual tart cases that you have. Drape the disks over a rolling pin and lay it across the tart case. Press the dough into the corners of the case using your fingers, don’t trim off the edges. Chill for 30 mins.
2. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan. Peel the pears and cut in half. Scoop out the centre core using a melon baller.
3. Place the butter into a large frying pan and melt slowly. Now add the pears, cut side down, to the pan and turn the heat up to a medium high and leave to begin to colour.
4. Put the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the pears just begin to soften.
5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
6. Now fill the pastry case with a round of baking paper and add baking beans to weigh it down. Bake for 15 mins, then carefully remove the paper and beans and cook the pastry for 5 mins more (this is called baking blind).
7. When cooled, carefully trim off the excess pastry using a small sharp knife.
8. Place the softened cheese into a mixer or food processor and begin to beat.
9. When the mix becomes light and fluffy, add the Roquefort cream and the whipping cream. Place this mix into a piping bag and divide evenly across the bottom of each cooked pastry case. Slice the pears into a fan, leaving the stem to hold it together and arrange them on top of the tarts.