Anticiplate

When people ask me how old I am, I always pause and try not to say twenty-three: the year that stands in time to me as “my age”. That year, twenty-three that is, was my year of firsts: I got married on December 29, 2005, I performed my first solo and pas de deux on stage in front of 2500 people for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, we bought our first condo, and fell in love with our first dog, and I really believe I became “Kari” for the first time. 

I never thought a year would, or could, top that magical year of my life. Until now. I think twenty-seven will be the kicker. Yes, I know, I am in a crazy transition time. I quit my job to basically be unemployed and romantically try to become a chef in a kitchen that I am not qualified to work. Yet, somehow, I truly believe this year is going to be the one I have been waiting for. The one that will last in my memory and push twenty-three aside like a kindergartner trying to get the last chocolate milk in the lunch line.

I pinch myself daily. No, not just burn and cut. Pinch. Because, I truly feel like in this moment in time I am in the right place. Doing exactly what I was meant to do.

I know what I am not meant to do. Be a pastry chef. Ever. I do not have the touch. For example: I made this recipe’s crostata dough twice. Not the filling, though. I actually scooped the filling out of the first batch of ugly dough that didn’t wrap itself around the pears, honey, and thyme mixture and dumped it in a bowl to be cooled it in the refrigerator while I created a new batch of dough. I was just too lazy to make the filling again. This dessert though, is easy enough for even the most novice baker. It is almost fool proof.

Almost.

Prep time: 25 minutes

Inactive Cook time: 2 hours and 15 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

*Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine October 2009

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons ice water

1 1/2 pounds seckel pears, each cored and cut into 8 wedges

5 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves, plus small sprigs for garnish

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until it is the size of peas. Add the water; pulse until the dough comes together. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut out eight 5-inch rounds, rerolling the scraps if necessary; transfer to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Take out the dough to warm a bit. In a bowl, toss two-thirds of the pears with 3 teaspoons of the honey, the lemon juice, thyme leaves and a pinch of salt. Arrange the pears on the dough rounds, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Fold the edges over the pears and brush the dough with the egg wash. Chill for 30 minutes.

Bake the crostatas for 35 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until the crusts are golden. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Gently toss the remaining pears with the remaining 2 teaspoons of honey. Transfer the crostatas to plates, top with the pears and thyme sprigs and serve.