Rustic Pear Tart

Pears are one of my favorite fruits. Now that pear season is in full swing, I couldn’t wait to try them in a rustic tart with a pastry dough I finally mastered that is pretty fool proof and seriously tasty.

Of the many varieties of pears, the most common are Bartlett, Comice, Bosc and the green and red Anjous (find more information on pear varietals here).

Although Bosc pears are usually used in cooking and are especially nice poached in white wine and served with a raspberry coulis sauce, I chose to test the tart with Bartlett and Comice, which are my favorite varieties. The tart will work with any pears, so feel free to choose the one you like the best.

Rustic Pear Tart

Serves 4 to 6

For crust: 

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 chunks
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 large ripe but firm Bartlett or comice pears, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1 large egg white
  • Vanilla or dulce de leche ice cream (optional)

Directions:

1. For crust, combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor or medium bowl. Add butter and pulse to combine or use a pastry blender to cut butter into small pieces. Add egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of the water; pulse or stir until mixture forms moist clumps. If dough seems dry and doesn’t hold together when pressed, add additional water 1 teaspoon at a time just until it will hold together. Form dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper to a 10-inch diameter circle. For filling, stir together sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add pear slices and toss well. Arrange in overlapping slices over dough leaving a 2-inch border around edges. Fold up edges of dough over pears pleating loosely and pressing down lightly. Beat egg white lightly and brush over edges of pastry. Discard remaining egg white. Slide the parchment with the tart onto a cookie sheet.

3. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Let tart cool at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream if desired.

 

Karen Levin is a freelance recipe developer living in Highland Park with her husband of 36 years.

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