Pears. I’m kinda obsessed with pears. I don’t care if it’s not the time of year for them or not. If pears are around, if they are in a dessert or a food, I have to have it. Pears are so sweet and juicy, and make me think of my mom, that I can’t help but adore them.

It’s kinda funny that it has taken me this long to getting around to baking with them. The inspiration behind making this pear tart was my grandma’s birthday. The boyfriend and I went down to visit her, and her neighbor made her a pear tart to celebrate! She brought it over, still warm from the oven, and it smelled heavenly. I couldn’t wait to eat it, and after talking to her, I was convinced it was super simple, yet stunning. Had to try!

Funny part of the story is where my grandma, while getting out of the car, drops the whole tart, face down on the cement driveway. ‘Shhh! Don’t tell anyone!’ she says, as she quickly picks it back up. Meanwhile, I’m nearly crying from heartbreak of watching a beautiful tart fall straight to the ground. Recovered and back in it’s box, we take it inside to be eaten later, with no mention of it’s date with the sidewalk. Sigh.

So, here I am – making my own version of the pear tart, but this time adding in another favorite ingredient: almonds. Using almonds in the form of almond cream gives a tart a nutty and more full flavor than other tarts. It also sounds more fancy. Plus it’s ‘healthy’! Omega 3s and all that. Right? The makes up for the butter. And the sugar. And.. yeah, you get it.

Om to the Nom.

Adapted from Slow like Honey 

9″ tart pan is recommended, but you can use 11″ – it’ll just be thinner.

For the crust:

I used Simply Recipes recipe. Make sure to prebake it for 9-12 minutes in a 400 degree oven before putting in the filling.

For the almond cream:
● 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
● 2/3 cup sugar
● 3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
● 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
● 1 tsp. cornstarch
● 1 large egg
● 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the pears:

● Two large nearly ripe pears, any type, peeled, cored and cut in thin length-wise cuts (don’t peel and cut until you’re ready to put them on the cream and bake)

● 1 lemon

Step One, Crust:

Follow the instructions in the crust recipe. Preheat the oven to 400. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven and begin preparing the filling.

Step Two, Filling:

In a food processor, combine butter and sugar. Cream for about one to two minutes, until lighter in color. Add the ground blanched almonds, blending two to three minutes until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for about 30 seconds, until combined and smooth.

Step Three, Prep the Pears:

Peel the pears, core and cut. Add lemon juice the the sliced pears to prevent browning.

Step Four, Prepare the Tart:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the almond cream in the prepared tart pan. Add the pears to the top of the cream in a pretty pattern. For mine, I put the pears in four halves. You can make it any way you’d like. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and the pears are lightly browned.

Step Five, OmNomNom:

Remove from oven, cool until warm and serve with ice cream.