Call me strange, but I really don’t care for the flavor of apples as much as I like the flavor of pears. And thankfully, even in my neck of the woods, there are numerous varieties of them to choose from nowadays. Thinking back to my days making classic restaurant apple tarts and tart tatin, I wanted to do something for thanksgiving that likened to those, but were centered around the pear.
I decided on a roasted pear tart. Wanting to capture the flavor of a tart tatin, it’s got a caramelized crust on top… much like a crème brûlée. It sits on a pâte sablée crust, which is one of my favorite doughs of all time practically. The pears themselves were cooked much in the fashion of an old family apple tart, just out of the crust.
For the pâte sablée:
135g unsalted butter
120g sugar
55g egg yolks
4g vanilla extract
3g salt
9g baking powder
180g AP flour
1 egg for egg wash
Sift the flour and baking powder together. Cream the butter and sugar until very light. Add the salt, vanilla, egg yolks scraping down the bowl. Then add the flour mix until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Chill in the refrigerator.
Roll dough to a thickness of about 1/3 inch. Cut into the shape you like to fit the mold you are using. Brush with egg wash and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.
For the pears:
This tart is held together loosely by gelatin. For 10 pears, two sheets will work well. Bloom in cold water. Select any variety that you’d like. I like to mix it up with several kinds. Peel and core them. Chop into a large dice. Saute in butter, sugar and vanilla beans until nicely caramelized. Place in a 325 degree oven and continue cooking until just softened. Melt the gelatin n a microwave until just liquefied. Add to the warm pears.
Place sablée into bottom of mold. Add pears to fill on top, pressing down to ensure that there aren’t any spaces. Try for a nice level top. Place in refrigerator to set.
When ready to serve, remove from mold and sprinkle with demerrara sugar. Caramelize with a torch.
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