Simple Pear Tart

Sunday Dinner

Mini Apple, Goat Cheese, and Walnut Pastries

Carbonnades à la Flamande (Beef and Onions Braised in Beer)
Parslied Potatoes
Green Salad

Pear Tart 
served with a whipped cinnamon Crème Fraîche

Pear Tart

By Nicole Prep: 20 minsCook: 1 hr 40 minsRefrigeration Time: 2 hrs 30 minsTotal: 4 hrs 30 mins Servings: 8 This simple tart is all about perfectly ripe and sweet pears! It is a perfect Fall dessert!

Equipment

• 14-cup food processor
• 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom
• Pie weights

Ingredients 

For the Tart Dough

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 9 tablespoons (4 ½ ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 extra-large egg

For the Filling

• 3 large Comice pears, peeled, halved, cored and sliced in ¼-inch thick slices
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ⅓-½ cup granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the pears
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ cup apricot jam or preserves, divided
• 1 tablespoon water or Cognac

Instructions 

For the Tart Dough

1. In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse until combined. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour. Process in short bursts until the butter is the size of peas. Add the egg and process in long pulses, about 5-7 seconds until the dough has started to clump. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and dump the dough onto the surface. Using the plastic wrap and the back of your hands, gently press the dough into a disk. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If refrigerated overnight, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface roll the dough out into a 14-inch circle, flouring the dough and surface as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and gently unroll it over an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Fit the dough into the edge of the pan. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan to remove the excess dough (let the kids practice their baking skills with the scraps). Place the tart onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
3. Line the tart with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and bake for another 3-5 minutes. Place on a rack to cool completely.

For the Filling

1. In a large bowl, toss the pears with the lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and pinch of salt. Spread ¼ of the apricot jam over the cooled crust. Lay the slices of pears in slightly overlapping concentric circles using the larger slices for the outside and the smaller pieces for the inside. Dot the top of the crust with the butter. Bake at 375ºF for 1 hour and 15 minutes until the crust is golden and the juices are bubbling.
2. In a saucepan, warm the remaining jam and water/Cognac. If using preserves, strain the mixture for any fruit bits. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the mixture over the warm tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 90mg, Potassium: 130mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 514IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.