Christmas Tart

Big N and I spent Christmas with his family, which has sort of become a potluck tradition. N's sister 'Star' started the meal off with roasted pumpkin raviolis with browned butter and sage sauce. The raviolis were soft and tantalizing and the sage sauce ensured they weren't too heavy.
N and I contributed the meat with an amazing hunk of horseradish and mustard crusted beef tenderloin. I paired that with celery root puree, a first attempt for me. The tenderloin was to die for, red and soft inside and savory on the outside with all that horseradish and herbs. While I shouldn't have been surprised, the celery root puree actually tasted like whipped celery, not all that enticing considering I don't like celery but at least the texture was perfect.
For dessert I made a Pear and Almond Creme Tart. Big N received a box of Harry & David pears for the holidays. They were big and beautiful and juicy and we have no idea who gave them to us. The pears were gorgeous in my tart, and my crust was flaky and crisp, but I have to admit the almond creme was a little mushy and kind of ruined it for me despite my in-laws claiming they liked it. Big N's brother 'Keroac' saved the day by bringing rich cheesecake from Portos. By the end of the night we left with our arms full and our tummies fuller.