Pear and Cranberry Crostata

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I have made these delicious crostata several times (mostly because I spent $11.00 buying the smallest package of almond flour that I could find. Except for the large volume it makes, this is a brilliant recipe! At first I was hesitant about the egg yolks and handling of the dough, but it has always turned out perfect and flaky. I halved the almond cream recipe the second time I made these. It's kind of a time-consuming and multi-phase project (Sandra Lee would NEVER dream of such a thing! but the finished product was a very enjoyable investment of my time!

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Yes, this recipe takes some work, but the majority of it can be done in advance. I typically prep the dough a few days in advance, roast the pears the day before, make the almond paste a day before. So, all that's left to do is assemble.

I didn't modify a thing except to use more almond cream, like a lot of people suggested! (As a side note, you can add some flour and baking soda/powder to the remainder of the almond cream and make the dough into cookies - very light and sweet! Katie was right in saying that cold dough is key in keeping the crust together. One more note about the almond paste. I couldn't find any almond flour in the store, so I made my own by grinding almond slices. It tastes every bit as good, and is probably a bit grittier in texture than if I'd used the regular almond flour.

Also, put it together as tightly as possible - it does bake down a bit in the oven. After making it once, I was able to anticipate how it would look and could put it together for presentation as well as taste. This is definitely one of the best pies I've ever made and it's become a Thanksgiving staple!

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I've made this several times and always get great reviews. Make it easier by buying the almond cream. It comes in a little can where you buy pie filling. Then you can use as much as you like, with the speciality almond flour that was very difficult for me to find the first time.

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I am making this tart for the fourth time. It is always received with accolades. I agree with the reviewer who said that a bit more almond cream is a good thing. I also save the ginger sauce from the roasted pears and serve it warm with a good vanilla ice cream with the tart. Everyone wants the recipe!

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The reason the crust falls apart for some folks is that this pie crust calls for a lot more butter than most. I made some modifications on the crust, using only 1 stick butter plus 10 Tbs shortening. Also added 1/4 tsp of baking powder to the flower and only 2 yolks instead of 3. My crust is perfect.
I was a little disappointed with flavor of the pears, I found them a little bland. I roasted them as specified but they got very watery in oven and not very sweet. I will make them again but next time either sprinkle them with sugar before baking pie or drip a caramel sauce on them. Another change is I would put more of the almond cream on pie than just 1/2 cup. The recipe makes more than 1 cup of cream, I don't know why it says to use only 1/2 cup, my pie could definitely have used more. Will make again because the end result is so pretty, but with a few modifications.

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I tried this exactly as the recipe went. As soon as it was baking it spread flat. I was greatly disappointed but the flavor was good. Will try it again.

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I was a bit scared to try this one because of some of the reviews stating it fell apart, but mine turned out great. I think it's important to work with cold dough. This recipe got rave reviews from my family.

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This crostata takes a bit of work, but always receives wows and raves. It is worth the trouble.

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This turned out fantastic. This is definitely a keeper. Made it for Thanksgiving and it was the a 5 star success.

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Everything was going well until it began to bake. The beautiful shape flattened out and the whole thing was floating in melted butter.

Still, tasted fabulous but not the pretty tart presentation I had hoped for.