French Pear Tart

Hot out of the oven, this tart smells and looks divine!

The simplicity of these three ingredients combined, 

makes for such an elegant dessert.

The partially baked crust, spread evenly with the 

almond filling, and then the pears, sliced and laid

carefully on top. 

My eldest brother loves desserts with pears.

I just had to make this fabulous tart for his birthday celebration.

Every last piece disappeared so quickly, you would hardly believe 

there were four other desserts I made as well.

But honestly, who can resist a buttery crust with simple toppings!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Source: Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

For the pears:

6 canned pear halves OR 3 medium pears, firm but ripe

1 lemon

4 cups water, if poaching

1 1/4 cups sugar, if poaching

For the almond cream:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup ground blanched almonds

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 large egg

2 teaspoons light/dark rum or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Sweet Tart Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

Dough

• Put the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine.  Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut in coarsely.  Stir the egg, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition.  When the egg is in, process in long pulses (about 10 seconds each) until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds.  Turn the dough out onto a work surface.
• Very, very lightly and sparingly knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
• Butter the tart pan and press the dough evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Don’t press so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture.  Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.
• To partially bake the crust, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil tightly against the crust.  Bake the crust 25 minutes, then carefully remove the foil.  If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.  Bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack; keep it in its pan.

Pears

• If you are using fresh pears and want to poach them, peel them and leave them whole.
• Bring the 4 cups water, the 1 1/4 cups sugar and the juice of the lemon to a boil in a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears.
• Add the pears to the boiling syrup, lower the heat so the syrup simmers and gently poach the pears until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
• Cool the pears to room temperature in the syrup.

Almond Cream

• Put the butter and sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and satiny.
• Add the ground almonds and continue to process until well blended.
• Add the flour and cornstarch, process, and then add the egg. Process for about 15 seconds more, or until the almond cream is smooth.
• Add the rum or vanilla and process just to blend.  (The cream can be made in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a bowl with a rubber spatula.  In either case, the ingredients are added in the same order.)
• Scrape the almond cream into a container and either use it immediately or refrigerate it until firm, about 2 hours.

Baking

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Have a lined baking sheet at the ready.
• If you are using fresh (unpoached) pears, peel them now.  If you are using poached or unpoached pears, cut them in half from stem to bottom and core them; rub the unpoached pears with lemon juice.  Pat the pears very dry (so that their liquid won’t keep the almond cream from baking).
• Fill the baked crust with the almond cream, spreading it even with a spatula.  Thinly slice each pear half crosswise, lift each half on a spatula, press down on the pear to fan it slightly and place it, wide-end toward the edge of the crust, over the almond cream.  The halves will form spokes.
• Put the crust on the lined baking sheet, slide the sheet into the oven and bake the tart 50 to 60 minutes, or until the almond cream puffs up around the pears and browns.  Transfer the tart to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature before removing from the pan.
• You can prepare a glaze by simmering the pear syrup until it has thickened into a glaze. Reserve this to brush on the tart before serving. Right before serving, brush the glaze over the surface of the tart and dust it with confectioners’ sugar.

If you do not already own this book by Dorie Greenspan, I highly recommend it!