A few tiny tomatoes still clinging to the stems and some swiss chard are all that remain of our small garden.  We will miss the tomatoes especially, but we do have some fall fruits to look forward to, such as butternut squash, apples and pears.

As soon as I saw the organic pears appear in our local grocery store, I picked some up to make this pear tart.  It’s a simple tart that highlights the flavour of the pears; not too sweet, with a slight caramel flavour contributed by the coconut sugar.  For the best texture and flavour, the pears should be ripe, but not too soft.  I’ve used einkorn flour for the crust, but if you don’t have einkorn flour, you can substitute any pastry you like for the crust – enough for one 11″ tart.

Fall Pear Tart

Ingredients

For the crust:
1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose einkorn flour, plus more for rolling dough
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter
2-3 tablespoons ice water
1 large egg

For the filling:
4-6 pears (about 1 pound), ripe but not mushy, sliced
4 tablespoons coconut sugar

Instructions

1. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the dough has some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible (or make by hand in a large mixing bowl, combining dry ingredients first, then cutting in butter with a knife or pastry cutter, and then mixing in egg and water until just combined).
2. Add the egg first, pulse once or twice to combine, then add water a tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together; you may not need all the water. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in parchment paper and let chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
3. Cut pears in half lengthwise, core, and then slice into 1/8-1/4 inch slices.

4. Place the dough on counter on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour. Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle, lifting and turning the dough with each roll, sprinkling with extra flour as necessary to avoid sticking.
5. Press into an 11” tart pan.
6. Lay pear slices, slightly overlapping, in concentric circles over tart crust and sprinkle the sugar over the pears.

7. Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 40-50 minutes, until pears are golden and softened. Depending on how juicy your pears are, it may need a bit longer; if the filling still looks a bit wet after 50 minutes, you can leave the tart in the oven, with the heat turned off, until filling has caramelized and is no longer runny.

Printable Version:

Fall Pear Tart

Print Recipe

Author Samantha

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose einkorn flour, plus more for rolling dough
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, optional
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter
• 2-3 tablespoons ice water
• 1 large egg

For the filling:

• 4-6 pears, about 1 pound, ripe but not mushy, sliced lengthwise
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar

Instructions

• Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the dough has some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible (or make by hand in a large mixing bowl, combining dry ingredients first, then cutting in butter with a knife or pastry cutter, and then mixing in egg and water until just combined).
• Add the egg first, pulse once or twice to combine, then add water a tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together; you may not need all the water. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in parchment paper and let chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
• Cut pears in half lengthwise, core, and then slice into 1/8-1/4 inch slices.
• Place the dough on counter on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour. Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle, lifting and turning the dough with each roll, sprinkling with extra flour as necessary to avoid sticking.
• Press into an 11” tart pan.
• Lay pear slices, slightly overlapping, in concentric circles over tart crust and sprinkle the sugar over the pears.
• Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 40-50 minutes, until pears are golden and softened. Depending on how juicy your pears are, it may need a bit longer; if the filling still looks a bit wet after 50 minutes, you can leave the tart in the oven, with the heat turned off, until filling has caramelized and is no longer runny.