Pear tart with almond cream
Simple to prepare, lovely to behold, this tart is a variation on the French dessert known as tarte aux poires Bourdaloue – the difference being that in the classic version the pears are poached, whereas in this recipe they are not.
If possible, choose pears that are not too juicy. Use a medium-sized tart pan, no more than 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter. The tart shell is a pâte sablée, or sweet pie crust, and may be prepared in advance.
3-4 large pears
3/4 cup (20cl) crème fraîche or heavy cream
3 egg yolks
6 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup powdered almonds
1 pâte sablée
Start by preparing the pâte sablée. When you have patted the crust into your tart pan, set it in the fridge to chill.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 (400 F, 205 C).
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pears. Cut them in half and gently remove the stems and cores. On a plate, slice the pear halves crosswise into slices about 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) thick. Keep each pear half as intact as possible. Set aside.
Make the almond cream: In a small bowl, whisk the cream and yolks together. Add the sugar and powdered almonds. Stir to blend.
Carefully place the sliced pears into your chilled tart shell, keeping each half together as a unit. Arrange the pears in a circle with the rounded bottoms toward the rim of your tart pan and the tapered tips toward the center. Pour the almond cream over the pears.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cream is set and golden brown in color. Serves 6-8.
Hi Meg,
I just made this for Thanksgiving dessert today, and it was a big hit. Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe, will definitely be making it again, and planning to check out your other recipes as well.
Hi, so glad to hear this! Thanks for the feedback, and welcome to Everyday French Chef.
Can you use almond flour
Hello Nicole. If you’re asking whether you can use almond flour in the crust, I don’t know because I’ve never tried it. Are you trying to make a tart that’s gluten-free? If so, why not give it a go? If not, I’d suggest you stick to white wheat flour for the pastry — it’s a tried and true recipe that always works! Cheers, Meg
Hi Nicole! I know this is an old post but I had the same question for the filling. It turns out according to my research that almond flour and powdered almonds are the same thing, but they are different than almond MEAL. I used something labeled almond flour and came out great!
Hi Nathan. Thanks for the tip! Fyi, and I should have mentioned this earlier, another possibility is to buy blanched almonds and grind them in a nut grinder or a food processor. In case you’d like to make the tart again in future…
Meg,
Do you think I can substitute frozen black raspberries for the pears or will they be too watery. I still have tons of raspberries left from last year and the new crop is about to be ready for picking in a week.
Hi Jodell and apols delayed reply. I think you’re right — frozen black raspberries would be too watery. They would turn this beautiful tart into an ugly purple mess. I’d suggest you use your blackberries instead as a substitute for blueberries in the blueberry crumble recipe on this site. Just be sure to defrost them and drain them thoroughly before you begin. Cheers, Meg
Another possibility would be to use the blackberries in the red and black currant tart recipe, also on this site.
This recipe does not say pre-bake the pastry shell but every other recipe I’ve found says you must?
Hi Kate. No, there is no need to pre-bake the crust in this recipe. It will bake while the cream is setting. Dare I say simple as pie? Cheers, Meg
This tart sounds delicious. Maybe I’ll try the recipe with some of the Asian pears slowly shriveling in my guest bedroom.