Pear & Goat Cheese Tart

Hazelnut tart shell

½ cup toasted hazelnuts

1-cup flour (spelt or all purpose)

3 tablespoons Sugar

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pulse the hazelnuts in a food processor with the flour, sugar, and salt until it becomes the consistency of sand. Add the egg and vanilla and pulse until dough forms a ball. Press the dough into a tart pan and chill for ten minutes in the fridge (dough may chill for up to 24 hours). Cover the dough with foil and weight down with dry beans or rice, bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until it starts to become light golden brown. Let cool before adding the filling.

Tart Filling

3 large pears (not too ripe)

Two logs of plain goat cheese

¼ cup honey

¼ cup chopped and whole hazelnuts

Spread room temp goat cheese in the cooled tart shell. Arrange pears in a spiral patter to completely cover the cheese. Drizzle with half the honey and top with all the nuts. Warm in oven at 350 degrees F for five to ten minutes before serving. Drizzle remaining honey and serve warm.