Spiced Pear Tart (Printable Version)

Tender pears and warm spices baked on a buttery crust for a cozy autumn dessert.

# What You Need:

→ Pastry

01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
04 - 1 large egg yolk
05 - 2–3 tablespoons cold water
06 - Pinch of salt

→ Filling

07 - 4 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
08 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
09 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
13 - Zest of 1 lemon
14 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
15 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch

→ Topping

16 - 2 tablespoons sliced almonds (optional)
17 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
18 - Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
02 - Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Rub in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and 2 tablespoons cold water; mix to form dough, adding more water if necessary. Shape into a disk, wrap, and chill 20 minutes.
03 - Roll dough on floured surface to fit tart pan. Press into pan, trim excess, and prick base with fork. Chill 10 minutes.
04 - Line crust with parchment, fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 12 minutes, remove weights and parchment, bake 5 more minutes until lightly golden.
05 - Toss pear slices with brown sugar, spices, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cornstarch until coated evenly.
06 - Arrange pears concentric on baked crust. Drizzle melted butter and sprinkle sliced almonds if desired.
07 - Bake 20 to 25 minutes until pears are tender and edges golden.
08 - Cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar if desired, slice, and serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The buttery crust shatters perfectly under your fork and tastes like it came from a French patisserie.
  • Warm spices wrap around the pears without overpowering their delicate sweetness.
  • It looks impressive but comes together with simple pantry staples and basic technique.
  • Leftovers keep well and taste even better the next morning with coffee.
02 -
  • Cold butter is everything for flaky pastry, if it starts to soften, pop the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes.
  • Blind baking the crust prevents a soggy bottom, dont skip the pie weights.
  • Arrange the pears snugly but not overlapping too much or the center wont cook through.
  • Let the tart cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing or the filling will slide everywhere.
03 -
  • Use a bench scraper to lift and transfer the rolled dough without tearing it.
  • Taste a pear slice before adding sugar, some varieties are sweeter and need less.
  • Brush the crust edges with a bit of egg wash before the final bake for extra shine.
  • Let the tart cool in the pan on a wire rack so air circulates underneath and keeps the bottom crisp.

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