I bought a new baking pan, a tart pan actually, one that I did not yet have in my baking supplies repertoire. Well there's no reason to add a new pan to my stock of baking supplies unless I use it. So what do I do? I start scavenging the Internet for great tart recipes. I've made a couple things in my mighty fine tart pan, but this is the only one I've taken a picture of and also captured the recipe to post in this blog. It's adapted pretty loosely from another blog called Living Tastefully, mostly due to the fact that I like to create (i.e. take risks on) new recipes from what I already have in my pantry and I don't happen to carry cherries, heavy cream, blanched almonds, or kirsch in my everyday pantry (what's wrong with me, right?).
Pear Almond Tart (serves 6)
Ingredients:
For the pastry crust:
8 tbsp butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for preparing tart pan
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup flour
For the filling:
1 egg, beaten
5 tbsp nonfat milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 large can pears, sliced lengthwise about 1/2" thick
Topping:
Confectioner's sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare round tart pan by buttering the pan surface.
2. To make the pastry crust, combine butter, sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl. Add flour gradually until a ball of pastry dough develops.
3. Place dough in prepared tart pan and spread evenly on the bottom surface and up the sides of the tart pan. You can do this by hand, flattening and spreading the dough with your palms and fingers. To keep your hands from being a greasy mess, cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap first and then spread the dough with your hands over the plastic wrap.
4. Pre-bake the pastry crust in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, until the crust turns a light golden color.
5. To make the filling, beat all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and put aside.
6. When the pastry crust has finished baking. Remove from oven and arrange sliced pears in a circular pattern over the pastry crust, covering the entire surface of the crust. Pour filling onto arranged pears.
7. Continue to bake for another 45 minutes, or until the custard is set and the pastry crust turns a darker golden brown color.
8. Allow to cool in room temperature. When cooled, refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar just before serving.
Equipment Tip: The tart pan helps make this dessert look so good. There's just something so French and so elegant about a variegated crust edge. Ahhhh yes. Most tart pans will come with a removable bottom so you can easily remove the prepared tart from the pan (and witness those beautiful edges, hehe). It's not necessary of course, but it IS pretty. You could use a regular straight edged cake pan, you just won't be able to remove it from the pan without it falling apart.
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