All these flavours are partners. Here they're put together to make these delicious tarts, which are ideal as a started or a lunch dish. The cheese pastry makes the crisp bases, adding texture to the smooth, sweet and savoury filling.

Ingredients

Cheese pastry

• 2 cups flour
• pinch salt
• 150 grams butter
• ¼-½ cup grated fresh parmesan
• 1 egg yolk
• approximately 2 tablespoons water

Filling

• 1 cup muscatels, all stalks removed
• 2 tablespoons port
• 125 grams Kikorangi or other blue brie-style cheese
• 2 ripe winter sweet pears
• 2 egg yolks
• ¾ cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons warmed apricot jam, optional

Method

Cheese pastry

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until all of it is incorporated (you can see if you've rubbed in all the butter by giving the bowl a shake, any large pieces of butter that have not yet been rubbed in will come to the top of the bowl). Do not use the palm of your hand as this will cause the butter to melt and the pastry will be quite tough.
2. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Blend the egg yolk with the water and cut into the pastry with a knife until the dough comes together.
3. Turn out onto a very lightly floured board and bring together. Knead for 1 minute and rest for 10 minutes. Wrap and place in the refrigerator before using.
4. Once rested, line 6x 10cm individual flan dishes with baking paper. Roll the pastry out to line the base and sides and fill with baking blind material.
5. Bake at 190ºC for 15 minutes. Remove the baking blind material and return the cases to the oven for a further 5 minutes until the pastry is crisp.
6. Place the muscatels and port into a small glass dish and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on full power for 1 minute. Set aside.
7. Slice the Kikorangi cheese into 6 even slices and place one slice on the base of each tart. Sprinkle over even amounts of the muscatels.
8. Core and halve or quarter the pears and then slice very finely. Arrange the slices on top of the cheese and muscatels, allowing the slices to overlap each other and maybe hang over the pastry a little.
9. Blend the egg yolks and creme fraiche or sour cream together and season with salt. Pour an even amount of the creme into each tartlet and place the tarts on a baking tray.
10. Bake at 190ºC for 15 minutes or until the creme has set. Glaze with a little warmed apricot jam if wished. Serve with a rocket or winter green salad, dressed with a light olive oil dressing.

Cooks Tips

- You can use raisins in place of muscatels.