Pear Tart
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Our homemade Pear Tart is a beautiful way to highlight sweet, juicy pears in a perfect crust filled with almond frangipane. It has delicate layers and looks like it could have come right from the bakery. This is the ideal recipe for any special occasion or a cozy afternoon treat.
Table of Contents
- Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- In Photos: How To Make A Pear Tart
- Make The Tart Crust
- Make The Filling
- More Tart Recipes
The combination of ripe pears and the nutty almond filling makes every bite truly unforgettable.
We like to serve this tart slightly warm with a scoop of whipped cream, but you can also enjoy it chilled with coffee or tea. This French-inspired dessert is always a crowd-pleaser! We’re using my Perfect Tart Crust Recipe for the base of this recipe.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Beautiful & Impressive: Looks like it came from a pastry shop, but it’s surprisingly simple to make at home.
- Delicious Flavor Contrast: Buttery crust, rich almond filling, and fresh pears in perfect harmony.
- Great for Make-Ahead: Can be baked ahead and served at room temperature or chilled.
- Versatile & Adaptable: Use any ripe pear variety and even swap the almond meal for other nuts.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you’re cooking.
For the Tart Crust
- All-purpose flour: Provides the sturdy base of the crust, helping hold the moist filling.
- Powdered sugar: Make sure it’s fresh. It goes stale pretty easily! Keep it stored in an airtight container.
- Kosher salt: Don’t sub in table salt. The measurements aren’t the same.
- Unsalted butter (cold): High-quality butter really makes a big difference in a tart crust. Spring for the good stuff if you can!
- Large egg yolk: Farm eggs are the best. That yolk color isn’t just aesthetics; it has a lot of incredible flavor, too! Regular grocery store eggs work in a pinch.
- Heavy cream: Adds moisture, making the dough pliable and workable.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, aromatic note to the crust.
For the Filling
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the frangipane and helps it puff beautifully.
- Unsalted butter (softened): If you use salted butter, omit the other salt from the filling.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness and deepens flavor.
- Large eggs: Provide structure and moisture to the almond filling.
- Almond extract: Intensifies the nutty flavor in the frangipane.
- Almond meal (aka almond flour): This is the star ingredient in frangipane, giving the filling its distinct nutty taste and texture.
- Ripe pears (D’Anjou or similar): Thinly sliced and artfully arranged over the filling. Choose pears that are ripe but still firm.
- Powdered sugar (optional): Lightly dust after baking, for garnish.
In Photos: How To Make A Pear Tart
This rustic tart is high on presentation value and tastes amazing! There are many steps, but none are overly complex.
Make The Tart Crust
Step 1: Prep
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients
Combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl or food processor.
Step 3: Cut in the butter
Blend until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Step 4: Add the wet ingredients
Stir in the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla until the dough forms a cohesive ball.
Step 5: Chill
Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 6: Roll and press
Roll the dough slightly wider than your tart pan, then gently press it into the pan and trim the edges.
Step 7: Partially bake
Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, until just set and barely golden. Let it cool completely.
Make The Filling
Step 1: Cream the base
Beat sugar, softened butter, and salt until very pale and fluffy (5 to 7 minutes).
Step 2: Add eggs and extract
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the almond extract.
Step 3: Fold in almond meal
Mix until evenly combined.
Step 4: Assemble
Spread the almond mixture evenly over the cooled crust.
Step 5: Prepare the pears
Peel, core, and thinly slice the pears while keeping their shape.
Step 6: Arrange and bake
Fan the sliced pears over the filling. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the filling is puffed and golden and the pears are tender.
Step 7: Sprinkle with powdered sugar
Cool slightly before serving. Dust with powdered sugar for a beautiful finish, if desired.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Don’t skip chilling the dough. It helps prevent shrinkage and makes rolling easier.
- Use a tart pan with a removable bottom for the prettiest presentation.
- Slice pears horizontally, keeping their shape as intact as possible for an elegant look.
- Serve warm or chilled: Delicious both ways, depending on your preference.
More Tart Recipes
- Cranberry Curd Tart
- Onion Tart
- Mini Raspberry Tarts
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
- Lemon Tart
- Irish Apple Tart
- Salted Honey Nut Tart
- Lemon Cheesecake Tarts
- Pumpkin Meringue Tarts with Whole Wheat Shortbread Crust
Pear Tart
Ingredients
For the Tart Crust*
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (40 g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 (18 g) egg yolk, large
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoons (2 g) vanilla extract
For the Filling**
- 2/3 cup (133.33 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
- 2 (88 g) eggs, large
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups (168 g) almond meal , (aka: almond flour or finely ground almonds)**
- 2 1/2 (534 g) pears, large and ripe (I used D'Anjou pears)
- powdered sugar, optional garnish
Instructions
To Make the Tart Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, stand mixer, or in a medium mixing bowl.
- Pulse/stir/cut in the butter with a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla, and process/mix/stir until the dough gathers itself into a ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until it's an inch or two wider than your tart pan.
- Press the dough gently into the pan(s), trimming away any excess.
- Partially bake the crust until it's set around the edges and just barely beginning to turn golden (approx. 15 minutes).
- Allow the partially baked crust to cool fully before filling.
To Make the Filling
- Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the sugar, butter, and salt together until very pale and doubled in volume (approx. 5 to 7 minutes).
- Whip in the first egg until fully incorporated.
- Whip in the second egg and the extracts until well blended.
- Fold in the almond meal and spread the mixture in an even layer in the bottom of the partially baked tart crust.
- Peel, halve, core, and thinly slice the pears horizontally, keeping the shape of the pear intact as best as possible.
- Place the sliced pears on the almond filling and bake the tart until the pears have softened and the filling is puffed and golden brown (approx. 45 to 55 minutes).
- Garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar (optional).
