Day 1: A package arrives at the door. It is a lovely congratulatory gift set including lush and sweet Harry and David pears from Ben’s boss!
Ben: OOH you can make your pear tart! Remember last time we had these pears and you made that pear tart? It was so good!
Jo: Yeah! (secretly wonders when she will find time to bake)
Day 2:
Ben: So are you going to make a pear tart?
Jo: Yup. But the pears are not ripe yet.
Day 3:
Ben: Are the pears ripe yet?
Jo: Not yet.
Ben: Mmm. Pear tart…
Day 5:
I have slowly been making our way through the pears, usually as a post-dinner dessert for the family. So lush and juicy– really, they’re something else.
Ben, with concern: Are you going to have enough pears for the pear tart??
Jo: Yup. Just need two.
Day 6:
Ben is short on sleep, and planning to hit the sack early. But then he realizes I am now making the pear tart.
Ben: Oh, I guess I’ll stay up for it, then!
Jo: Hm. After baking it for another 50 minutes, it’s supposed to sit in the fridge for two more hours…
Ben: 🙁
Day 7:
Ben: THE PEAR TART WAS GOOD! Is there any way you can get more pear in there? I really like the pears.
Dad: Did you make this? Just following a recipe? It’s very good!
(Note that this is actually Chinese dad speak for “JO YOU ARE THE MOST AMAZING BAKER IN THE WORLD!! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!” 😉)
I think this story speaks for itself. You should need no further convincing. This pear tart is worthy of your time. It is something Ben requests and looks forward to and I can think of few better ways to celebrate a gift box of sweet, creamy, and delicious pears! Plus, this crust recipe is great– didn’t get soggy, and would work well for a fruit tart!
P.S. The original recipe is actually called a “Pear and Almond Flan” but for some reason, that name doesn’t ring with me the same way “Pear Tart” does. Isn’t flan like a wiggly, jiggly eggy thing? I’m convinced this should be called a tart. And this is my blog. So there.
Pear and Almond Tart
From The Essential Baking Cookbook
Makes one 9″ tart, serves 8
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups (155g/5 oz) plain flour
- 90 g (3 oz) unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
- 1/4 cup (60g/2 oz) sugar
- 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Filling
- 165 g (5 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (160g/5 1/2 oz) sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (135g / 4 1/2 oz) ground almonds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 2 very ripe pears
Instructions
- Lightly grease a shallow 9.5″ round, loose-based, fluted tart tin. Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and mix together. Make a well in the center, add the egg yolks and mix with a flat-bladed knife (or pastry cutter), using a cutting action, until the mixture comes together in beads. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper until large enough to line the base and side of the tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry and trim off any excess. Sparsely prick the base with a fork. Line the base with baking paper, pour in some baking beads or uncooked rice and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beads and bake for another 10 minutes. Cool.
- For the filling, beat the butter and sugar in a bowl with electric beaters for 30 seconds (don’t cream the mixture). Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in the ground almonds and flour and spread the filling smoothly over the cooled pastry base.
- Peel the pears, halve lengthways and remove the cores. Cut crossways into 1/8 inch slices. Separate the slices slightly, then place each half on top of the tart to form a cross. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the filling has set (the middle may still be a little soft). Cool in the tin, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Can be dusted with powdered sugar.
4 responses to “Pear and Almond Tart Recipe”
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looks deeeelicious Jo!
Thanks Amy! I think you’d like it :).
This looks delicious! And you photographed it so beautifully too… Flan always reminded me of a cheesecake that fell a little short. My father used to make good ones, but in general it seems that flans are not nearly as popular as tarts or cheesecake! <3
Good ‘ol iPhone camera :D. Yeah flans have never really had their day, have they? But if they all tasted like this tart, they might just stand a chance ;).