Heather's Famous Pear Tart

Despite the exception of last week’s mystery, it’s very unusual for me to make a blog post in the middle of the week. But I could not wait for another week to share this post because this post must be as fresh as those perfectly ripened pears waiting for you to be picked up from grocery stores and farmer's markets as we speak.

I grabbed a few varieties of pears the other day for making the famous pear tart (which I’m going to talk about later). In the past, I bought Bosc or Bartlett or whatever looked good and felt right in my hand and never even considered the subtle difference in the variety of pears when making pear tart. But this time, these chubby, short looking pears caught my eyes. My first thought was, oh how cute. It felt good in my hand, too. Then I looked over other ones and suddenly thought that it might be fun to try comparing all different kinds.

I chose at least one of each that was available. (From left: Bosc, Bartlett, Comice, French Butter, Red Pear, French Butter, Bosc.) I’m not a pear expert and I can hardly tell the difference between Comice and French Butter. Even some Bartlett blends into them. After I came home, I took a bite into the French Butter which was the cute and chubby one. I was astonished. It was nothing fancy like heirloom or organic, it’s just an ordinary $1.99/lb pear from a small Safeway store (no offense to Safeway), yet tasted so wonderful! It’s sweet, juicy, smooth compared to Bartlett or Bosc and very aromatic. It was as if I had pear flavored jelly beans or pear flavored juice or something. The flavor was absolutely natural yet, hard to believe that a fresh pear could be so flavorful. Even though yesterday was my day off, I got up 7am in the morning just to go back to the store to get some more. If you see them around in your neighbor grocery stores, I urge you to try them – guaranteed your money’s worth.

So, that’s what I used to make the tart this time. I made a 10” tart for sharing with people and a mini 3” one for me to enjoy with afternoon tea. This recipe is actually from my friend’s cookbook and it is so good that people have asked me to make this a number of times. In fact I have lost count of how many times I made this particular pear tart – hence, Heather’s famous pear tart. Heather was generous to let me share this recipe on Kitchen M, but there are many more delicious recipes on her cookbook. If you are interested, you can order it from Barnes and Noble or Amazon. The book also contains my first body of photography, so don’t be too critical.

Recipe of the Day

Heather’s Famous Pear Tart
(courtesy of A Taste of Home by Heather Jamison & Shay Meckenstock)

Crust:
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 c AP flour, unbleached
1 pinch clove, ground
1 large egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a 10” tart pan and set aside.
Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and almond extract and mix until combined. Add the remaining ingredients until the mixture is the consistency of cookie dough. Using your fingers, press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared tart pan.

For Filling:
1 (8oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c + 1/3 c sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 Tbsp AP flour
1/3 c sugar

Place the cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until smooth. Add the sugar, eggs and almond extract. Mix on low speed to combine and then increase the speed to medium and beat for several minutes until mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture evenly into the crust.

In a small bowl, stir in the cinnamon, flour and sugar and mix. Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the filling.

For the Fruit:
5 Bosc or Anjou Pears
3/4 c Apricot or peach preserves
2 Tbsp Grand Marnier

Remove the core and skin from each pear. Cur each pear in half. With a paring knife, make thin slices across the top of each half; do not cut all the way though the pears. Place the pears on top of the filling and around the perimeter of the tart. (Place the last pear in the center if it fits.)
Combine the preserves and Grand Marnier in a small saucepan and heat on low until preserves have melted. Strain through a sieve, and with a pastry brush or spoon, spread the glaze on top of the pears. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

When cooled, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve.

*I usually double the amount for the crust since I prefer thick crust. And with the leftover, I usually make some small tarts or save them in the freezer for later use.