This has to be an all time favorite autumn tart here at The Cook's Atelier. It's easy to make and absolutely delightful. I promise, you are going to love it! It's perfect for the holdiays and gives you that little taste of France wherever you are.
It's quiet here today and I've been recipe testing and enjoying my holdiay preparations. There are roasted vegetables in the oven, little votives are lit all over the atelier and I'm enjoying a nice glass of red wine. It's good to be home. Now that things have slowed down a bit, I promise to be back soon with some more recipes for your holdiay celebration. In the meantime, you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
We are working away on the schedule for next season and will be offering a few five-day programs in addition to our cook's workshop series, market tours and cooking classes. We'll be back soon with details, but if you're thinking about a visit to France, be sure to keep us in mind. The Cook's Atelier really is something special and we'd love to share a little bit of magic with you.
Almond pear tart
Serves 6 to 8
1 recipe pâte sucrée
for the pears
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 medium pears, peeled
Bring 4 cups water, sugar and lemon juice to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add pears and reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the pears are tender, about 20 minutes. Cool the pears in the syrup.
for the almond filling
2/3 cups ground almonds
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
In a medium bowl, mix the ground almonds, sugar and butter until smooth. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.
to prepare the tart
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Position a rack in the center of the oven.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface, and sprinkle with a little bit of flour. Roll it into a 1/4-inch-thick circle, flouring as needed. Starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up. Unroll the tough over the 9-inch tart pan. Gently press the dough into the pan, being careful not to stretch the dough as this will cause it to shrink when baking. To remove the excess dough, work your way around the edge pinching off the excess dough with your fingers. Chill the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.
Prick the bottom with a fork and line the shell with parchment paper. Fill the lined tart with dried beans or pie weights and bake for 15 minutes. Take the tart out of the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and dried beans. Return the tart to the oven, and bake until golden brown turning as needed to ensure even color. Set aside on a rack to cool.
Spread almond filling evenly in crust. Stem pears and cut each in half lengthwise; scoop out cores. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices. Gently press each pear half to fan the slices but keep the slices tightly overlapped and arrange on the tart.
Bake tart until golden and a tester inserted into the center of the filling comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool tart in pan. To serve, cut into wedges and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Pâte sucrée
Makes enough for 2 tarts
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
A pinch of sea salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Whisk the cream and the eggs together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter. Using your fingers, incorporate the butter until you have a coarse meal. Gradually add the cream and yolks, and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Bring the dough together with your hands to incorporate completely. Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, and wrap one of them to freeze and use later.
If the dough is soft, put it into the refrigerator for a few minutes prior to rolling. Place it on a lightly floured work surface, and sprinkle with a little bit of flour. Roll it into a 1/4-inch-thick circle, flouring as needed. Started at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up. Unroll the dough over the 9-inch tart pan. Gently press the dough into the pan, being careful not to stretch it as this will cause it to shrink when baking. To remove the excess dough, work your way around the edge pinching off the excess dough with your fingers. Chill for 1 hour before baking.
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