The thing about them is that they really are quite large, so I knew I would never be able to consume both these massive pears on my own before they went bad. So from this necessity to use up the pears came a wonderful idea: why not make a pear tart?
In the interest of full disclosure, let me tell you that I have never made a tart of any kind, let alone from scratch. I knew nothing about it except what I wanted it to look like. So I turned, as always, to the internet. I quickly learned that there were 4 basic things needed to make a good tart: a crust, a filling, a fruit, and a glaze. I discovered three different recipes that I liked, each for a different component. I pretty much altered all of them to my own liking/what was in the refrigerator, except of course the dough for the crust--you can't really mess around with baking.
It turned out really well. I had the idea to make it sort of late in the day, so I ended up baking into the night, finishing up right around 11pm, just in time to go out. But my roommates definitely remember this sucker, pictured below in all its glory:
(The crust doesn't look quite done in the picture, but I think that was the glare in the kitchen. Trust me, it was yummy.)
So below you will find all the components of a good fruit tart. I would suggest using this for pears, whether regular or Asian, or apples. Other fruits might work as well, but the brown sugar/cinnamon based filling goes better with apples and pears.
Ingredients:
For the crust: follow this recipe for pate brisee, a French pastry dough. Super simple and super delicious. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/all_butter_crust_for_sweet_and_savory_pies_pate_brisee/
For the filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon
For the glaze:
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp water
dash more cinnamon
For the fruit:
1 Asian pear
(if you want to use apples or regular pears, get at least 2)
Directions:
1. Make the pate brisee dough about an hour and a half in advance before you want to start baking.
2. Once the dough has been made, chilled in the fridge for at least an hour, and taken out to come to room temperature, take out a medium mixing bowl and combine the brown sugar, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla.
3. Slice your fruit of choice very thin, trying to keep them an equal size and thickness. This can be tricky, so you may want to invest in a little extra of whatever fruit you are using--you can always eat them later!
4. Take your dough and form it into a ball. Place the ball on a cookie sheet (rectangular or round, doesn't matter), and roll and stretch it out until it is the desired size--you might have to dust your hands and the rolling pin with a little flour. Make a small crust by folding the edges over and pressing down. You can make a nice edge pattern with a fork or with you fingers, if you like.
5. Spread your filling into the crust, keeping the layer even.
6. Arrange your fruit slices in a circular pattern, allowing them to overlap a little bit. Use your creativity here to make it pretty!
7. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about half an hour, or until the crust is golden and the fruit has taken on some color.
8. While the tart is baking, combine the honey, water, and cinnamon in a saucepan over low heat. Add more honey if it seems too thin, and more water if it seems too thick.
9. When the tart comes out of the oven, drizzle the warm glaze over it. Let the tart cool and then dig in!
And for an added bonus...add some fresh whipped cream! All you need is to take 4 parts heavy whipping cream and one part sugar, and mix it with a hand mixer on high for 3-4 minutes, or until it forms peaks and valleys, or until when you scoop some up with a spatula, it takes a couple shakes until it falls off. Throw some of this deliciousness on your pear tart and you're ready to go!
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