Rustic Pear Tart

  • Yield: 6 servings, serving size 1 wedge
  • Total: 2 hr 10 min
  • Prep: 40 min
  • Inactive: 30 min
  • Cook: 1 hr
Advertisement

Ingredients

Crust:

1/2 cup whole-grain pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons lowfat buttermilk

3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

3 medium pears

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon boiling water

Directions

  1. To prepare the crust, in a medium bowl whisk together the whole-wheat pastry flour, all- purpose flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the butter and using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until you get a pebbly, course texture. In a small bowl combine the buttermilk and ice water. Using a fork, gradually mix the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Pat the dough into a 4-inch round and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and prepare the filling. Peel the pears, core them and cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl toss the pear slices with the lemon juice. Sprinkle in the cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon and toss until the pears are evenly coated. Set aside.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a large circle about nine inches in diameter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draping the dough over the rolling pin, transfer to the prepared baking sheet. If the dough breaks at all patch it up with your fingers.
  4. Arrange the pears in a mound in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch boarder. Fold the border over the filling. It will only cover the pears partially and does not need to be even.
  5. Bake the tart for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, keeping the tart in the oven all the while, and bake for another 40 minutes, until the pears are tender and the crust is golden brown.
  6. In a small bowl stir together the honey and boiling water to make a glaze. When the tart is done remove it from the oven and brush the honey glaze all over the top of the fruit and crust. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut into 6 wedges and serve warm or a room temperature.

Let's Get Cooking!

Sign up for the Recipe of the Day newsletter to receive editor-picked recipes,tips and videos delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

Thanks for subscribing to the Recipe of the Day newsletter. Check out all our other great newsletters from Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos.

We're sorry, there was an error signing you up. Please try again later.

Advertisement

Beezer

I made this last night with four exquisitely perfect pears from a local farm. For the pastry, I used 1 1/4 c. flour, (2 T of this were whole wheat, the rest all-purpose), 6 T. butter, a dash of nutmeg, and the rest as directed. I drizzled in 2-3 T. of vegetable oil, when my mixture seemed a little too dry, before the buttermilk and water. The pears I prepared according to the recipe, except for adding 1/8 tsp of cardamom, as others had recommended.<br />I packed the dough ball firmly together, forgot to chill it, and rolled out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. I peeled the first one off and turned the dough onto the parchment paper atop a cookie sheet. As I dumped the pears on, I realized I had too many, but I piled them high and folded over the dough all round.<br />I forgot to set the timer, so this baked at 425 F for probably 25 minutes. I reduced the heat to 350 and it baked a full 20 minutes more. It still didn't appear to be sufficiently crusty, so I left it in another 10-15 minutes. I took it out and brushed the crust with Grand Marnier and water. That made it look soggy, so I whisked an egg yolk with another dash of Grand Marnier and a splash of water. I brushed this liberally over the crust and the pears and added a sprinkle of turbinado sugar over all. After another 8 minutes, it looked beautifully glossy and crusty.<br />I served the tart at room temperature with a sizable dollop of sweetened whipped cream, flavored with a touch of almond extract. It was magnificent.

See All Reviews