This is my favorite dessert and is an adaption of a recipe from The Sweet Life that uses apricots instead of pears. Though it looks complicated, several steps can be done in advance. The tart dough recipe always is enough for two tarts, so I freeze half for future use. It keeps well wrapped for a month or two. Also, when pears are in season I preserve as many jars as I can so that when it comes time to make this tart, all I have to do is bake the dough and make the cream. I've also left out the chopped almonds on occasion, but I do find them a nice textural addition. This dessert is quite rich so it's great for a large dinner party. Unfortunately it doesn't keep well, eat it the day you make it.
Yield: 11” tart
Sweet Tart Dough (enough for two 11 inch tarts):
16 T (8 oz) butter, ideally at room temperature, just slightly soft
1 1/3 cups icing sugar
Zest of 1 lemon or tangerine (optional)
2 egg yolks at room temperature (can put them in a warm bath to speed up warming)
2 cups plus 2 T flour
1/4 t salt
Cream the butter in a stand mixer for 1 minute. Add the icing sugar and zest and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and almost white in color, 6-8 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The butter should not be so warm that it starts getting greasy, it's better to use cold butter from the fridge and beat longer. If it starts looking greasy, put the bowl of butter in the fridge for 5 minutes and then finish beating. (You can also use a hand mixer, but this means you can't multi-task.) Beating well is important to capture little air pockets in the butter.
Add the egg yolks one at a time and continue to beat until incorporated and the batter looks smooth and glossy, 1-2 minutes.
While the butter is creaming, whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Once the yolks are incorporated into the butter, add the dry ingredients. Mix the dough on the lowest speed just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir on low speed for another 30 seconds. Do not over mix.
Separate the dough into two mounds. Wrap each mound in plastic wrap and press to for two 1 inch thick disks. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight. I usually use one tart dough and put the other one in the freezer. Well wrapped, the tart dough will keep for weeks.
Using a butter knife, slice off an 1/8 inch thick piece of chilled tart dough and press it gently onto the floor of the 11 inch tart pan. Keep slicing and pressing until the bottom is covered. Continue using the same technique for the sides. Fill any cracks that form. The trick is to be gentle and not over handle the dough while trying to get an even thickness. As you finish up the dough it will be room temperature and quite soft. At this point take a jar (or other implement) that has a flat bottom and straight sides and using a gentle turning motion, press the bottom of the jar lightly to smooth it out to relatively even thickness. Run the jar gently along the side of the tart to even out the thickness. Uneven thickness will result in uneven shrinking (which can be unsightly and lead to filling problems). This is a fragile but very tasty tart dough, so be very gentle.
Freeze the tart dough for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the dough from the freezer and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill it with a few pie weights or dried beans. Do not add too many or they will cause the parchment to stick to the dough. Bake for 25 minutes for a large tart or 20 minutes for smaller ones. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. This will allow you to remove the parchment without breaking the dough. Very gently remove the parchment and return the tart dough to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Bake until golden brown. Do watch the cooking time, I've found this recipe to be erratic.
Let cool completely before filling. This dough will keep well rapped at room temperature for 2 days. (Ideal for couple who can have berry tart two days in a row with freshly filled berries and cream!)
Poached Pears
1 quart (1l) water
1 1/3 cup (265 g) sugar
4 Bosc pears; peeled, cored, and quartered
one split vanilla bean
In a large saucepan, heat the water, vanilla and sugar until warm and the sugar is dissolved.
Slide in the pears and cover with a round of parchment paper, with a small hole cut in the center. Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the pears. Remove from heat and let the pears cool in their liquid.
The liquid can be boiled down to make a lovely pear vanilla syrup that’s good with ice cream and cake.
Alternative to poached pears: 7 to 8 medium fresh apricots pitted and sliced.
Almond Filling
8 T (4 oz) sweet butter
¼ cup (2 oz) almond paste
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup flour
¼ t salt
1cup crème fraiche (quark also works, possibly sour cream might be acceptable)
1 cup (4 oz) chopped almonds, can be lightly toasted
In a sauce pan, brown the butter over medium heat until it caramelizes and emits a nutty aroma. The butter will froth and the froth will become beige in color. The color of the butter should be a dark yellow when it's done. Use a spoon to lift a small quantity from the pan. As you pour it back into the pan, note the color. Remove from heat and strain.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place the almond paste, sugar and eggs and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Turn down to a slow speed and add the flour and salt. Turn the mixer back to medium speed and slowly drizzle in the browned butter. (The butter will emulsify into the cream, leaving the mixture smooth, creamy and shiny.) Once the butter has been incorporated, turn the speed to slow and add the crème fraiche until thoroughly combined.
Assembly
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position the rack in the middle of the oven.
Slice the poached pears into slices about ½ inch thick. Cover the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell with the chopped almonds. Pour the custard on top. Place the sliced pears into the custard in a pinwheel pattern.
Bake until the custard puffs a bit and browns, 30 to 40 minutes. Allow the tart to cool for ½ hour on a rack before removing it from the metal ring.
