I was pretty excited, as I am sure rest of the Tuesday with Dorie bakers where as well, when I found out that Dorie would be our lovely hostess for this weeks challenge. I was equally as excited when I found out that Dorie picked the French Pear Tart. I have been dying to make a Pear Tart all winter and have not had a chance to do so. We had a dinner party to go on Sunday and I knew this would be the perfect opportunity.
The recipe calls for a simple tart crust filled with an almond pastry cream and then topped with pears – simple. The tart dough was a classic French Sable otherwise known as a shortbread dough. It is very simple to make especially if you use the food processor as I do. As well you do not have to roll out this dough but rather mold it into your tart pan. I did freeze it for a couple hours before baking which caused it not to bubble or raise during baking.
The recipe called for the option of using canned pears, which evidently most pastry shops do, or we could poach our own. I knew I had to poach my own and I knew that I had to use the cute little Seckel Pears I had previously seen at Bi-Rite market. I wanted to add a little something extra so I threw some Cardamon pods in with the pears when they were simmering. Poaching was so much easier then I thought it would be and I can only imagine all the creative things one can do with flavorings as well as color.
The pastry cream called for a bit of rum and I used a spiced Jamaican rum hoping it would compliment the Cardamon. When putting the tart together I decided to leave the pears whole since they were so cute and I wanted everyone to enjoy the dynamic look I was hoping for.
The tart finished up nicely. The crust was a bit heavy (per my food critic Lenny) but otherwise, the flavor combination and the freshly poached pears was heavenly. I really enjoyed making this tart, as it was very easy, incredibly flavorful and the presentation will WOW your guests!
Thank you Dorie for a wonderful challenge.
32 comments
[...] I, adore cream puffs, but never make them, except in the form of gougeres, which is their savory cousin. Or, if we are missing Paris, I will whip up a batch of Les Chouquettes, which is a sweet breakfast treat, and a must with our morning coffee when we are there. Cream puffs are simply baked choux, filled with mounds of whipped heavy cream or a pastry cream, then dusted with powdered sugar. It was a very hot the day when I decided to tackle this project, so I opted to fill my cream puffs with a Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato. If, I was going to use a pastry cream to fill them, I would definitely use Dorie Greenspan’s recipe that she uses with a gorgeous french pear tart. [...]
Hello, it’s an excellent write-up, and great thought.
Oh my! Are pears in season now? Summer is indeed long gone. Sigh. But this tart is absolutely gorgeous. I’ve never made a pear tart with poached pears standing up like yours. This is certainly something I will have to try. Beautiful tart, Denise.
I may just be a kid but I read the writting well and I loved it all and looking at the pears on the pastry all just whoaaaaaxxxx
Oh my! That is gorgeous! I’ll bet it was the highlight of the party.
The whole pears are adorable! Nice job.
I absolutely love this! I have a tart pan that I only use once a year for Thanksgiving, so this is going on my list for a surprise gift for hubby, he loves his pears! Thanks for this!
WOW! This looks very impressive – I don’t think I believe you when you say it’s easy
Tram
Your tart looks lovely. What adorable little pears!
Fabulous! Fabulous! Fabulous! Your tart is absolutely stunning! I love the look of the sweet little pears standing upright in the almond cream and I bet the cardamom was perfect with the almonds and fruit. BRAVO!
Thats a show stopper right there. GORGEOUS dessert! Well done.
You did a remarkable job! So VERY creative!!!!!
I love that you left the pears whole. Beautiful presentation!
Fabulous looking tart.
Those pears are just toooo cute!
What a great idea to stand up the pears…very attractive! Your tart looks delectable!
woww great job!
your tart looks fantassstic
I just love the look of this tart- like poached pears in a woven basket!
ooh la la: that looks gorgeous!
Spectacular presentation! I so want a rectangular tart pan now.
Your take on the pear tart is absolutely stunning. I love how you kept the pears whole. Gorgeous.
That is stunning in a rectangular tart pan and the whole pears are gorgeous! Well done!
What a gorgeous presentation. If it tasted half as good as it looked…WOW!
Best,
Emily
http://www.justeatfood.com
I applaud you for trying the whole pears, it makes this tart far more superior than any of the others. Well done on a great job!
Andy and I were on the delicious site of this one! The pears were perfectly tender and the filling was just right. I agree with Denise that the crust came out a bit heavy.
wow – the presentation is just… divine!
Ooh, it looks stunning with the whole pears!! Beautiful tart, and I’m glad you liked the result
Wow, this looks fantastic. GReat job!
Superb… and very, very French looking! I guess that was the goal! LOL There is something about pear stems I find very fancy… that’s why I kept them too!
That’s beautiful! And the cardamom was a great idea. I bet it really went well in this.
I love the look of those whole pears!! They are wonderful and oh so classy! Glad it was enjoyed!
How pretty. What a work of art!!