Easy Pear Tart

Using fresh pears and basic pantry staples we can create a perfect dessert from scratch. This easy pear tart is topped with sliced almonds and a refreshing glaze for the ultimate experience.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: Easy Pear Tart

Servings:

Calories: 306kcal

Author: Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3-4 Bosc or Barlett pears
2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling on top

Glaze:

1/4 cup apricot jam
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sliced almonds for topping

Instructions

Prep

Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9- to 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray and set aside.

Crust

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy; beat in the egg and almond extract. {Try not to leave out the almond extract- it adds such a nice, subtle flavor that really adds so much to this dessert!}
Reduce the mixer speed to medium and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until fully incorporated (the dough will be very soft).
Using a small spatula, spread the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan.
IF USING TART PAN--If you are using a tart pan, there's no need to try and shape the dough at all. IF USING PIE PLATE--you might want to attempt to smooth the top edges of your tart. It's certainly not necessary though!

Filling

Peel, core, and cut each pear into 1 1/2- to 2-inch wedges. An apple slicer makes this process a lot easier- just slice it, then take a paring knife to the slices to remove the skin.
Arrange one ring of pears with the tips pointing toward the center and slightly overlapping them on top of the dough.
For the first layer, gently press them into the dough a bit. Try and leave about 1/2" around the edges for the crust to puff up- it holds the pears in nicely this way.
Top with another ring, working in the opposite direction. Do the best you can- I seem to lose sight of my circles 3/4 of the way around. It still ends up looking great!

Topping

Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. I like my cinnamon sugar heavy on the cinnamon. I keep mine in a shaker- it's super handy!

Bake

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the pears are tender, 60 to 70 minutes. Check the tart 40-45 minutes in- I always need to lay a piece of foil over the top to slow the browning. Let cool for 1 hour.

Add Glaze

Heat the jam and lemon juice until melted and combined. 30 second intervals in a bowl in the microwave while whisking between each should suffice.
Drizzle glaze over the top of the tart.
Let cool before slicing and serving or enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Note: I've never used all 4 pears! In the photos below, I used just over 2 pears. I could have topped the tart with the remaining slices of pear #3 and it would have still tasted great. Maybe if you use a pie pan instead of a tart pan, the 4th pear will fit?!

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