Almond Pear Tart

Fall baking always includes apples and pears for me. I’m not as much into pumpkin flavored this and that as I am in love with these delicious fruits. Maybe that points back to my Belarussian roots, where pears and apples were in abundance and pumpkin baking wasn’t as popular as it is here in America. I’ve never even heard of a pumpkin pie until we were well acclimated in the states. In any case, I have so many recipes with apples, so I decided to look for some pear recipes to add to my repertoire. This Almond Pear Tart immediately caught my attention and since I was very happy with the results and my husband gave it his stamp of approval, I knew I should share it with all of you.

Almonds and pears are a flavor combination that complement each other beautifully. The batter portion of the tart is so easy to make – just pulse everything in a food processor and pour it out into the baking pan. It can’t get any simpler than that! Take another minute and place the pears on top of the tart and it’s ready to go into the oven. The tart has a lovely sandy and buttery texture, and the pears add juiciness and just a hint of tartness. It’s a perfect dessert for glorious autumn days and for busy people.

Recipe Source: Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups blanched almonds

1/2 cup sugar plus 1/2 – 1 Tablespoon to sprinkle on top of the of the tart

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons butter, melted, plus 1 Tablespoon butter chilled and cut into small cubes

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-3 pears, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Blanched almonds are almonds that have their skin removed. You can buy them already blanched or do it yourself, by covering the almonds with boiling water for one minute, draining the water, rinsing and the skin will rub off as you dry them. 

Blend the blanched almonds and 1/2 cup of sugar in the food processor until the almonds are finely ground.

Add the flour and salt and pulse a few times to combine. Add the eggs, melted 4 Tablespoons butter, milk and vanilla. Mix just until the batter is uniformly combined.

Pour the batter into a 9 inch tart pan. Arrange the pear slices on top of the tart in whatever design you like. You can most likely use apples instead of pears for this recipe, but I’ve never tried it myself.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2-1 Tablespoon sugar and the remaining 1 Tablespoon butter that is chilled and cut into small cubes. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.