Rustic Pear Tart

A regular reader of A Lovely Morning (a blog I stumbled upon while wedding researching and have been loving ever since), I was drawn to a yummy looking recipe for a plum tart Kristina posted this past summer. While she served her's for breakfast, I decided to make mine an after dinner dessert for my mom's birthday this past September. It was a hit, and I made sure to save the recipe in my archives. Aside from the beautiful deep red and purple colors of the plums, my favorite part of this recipe is the crust. Not only is it the easiest-no-wait-crust EVER, but it is also delectably sweet.

The Crust

• 1 cup (4.5 oz) all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, lightly whisked
• 3 tablespoons firm but not hard unsalted butter, cut into a few chunks

With Raven's housewarming party coming up, I knew I wanted to bake something special to bring. With not a ton of time (as Nate and I are still in the process of moving into our new house) I needed something that was quick yet still pretty in presentation and, of course, tasty. I quickly dug up the plum recipe, but instead of using plums, I opted for a more fall appropriate fruit: pears. I decided to pair (hahaha, clever yes?) the crust recipe with another filling recipe I found for a gingered pear tart.

The Filling:

• 3 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/3 cup sugar (I used only about 1/4 cup and that was plenty)
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

As per Kristina's recipe, press the dough evenly around the bottom of 9 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure to press the dough firming into the scallop edges of the pan (this is what gives the tart it's pretty border). Position the pears in a fan-like pattern and bake at 375 degrees for roughly 50-60 minutes. Check on it from time to time and remove when the edges are golden - do NOT let it brown too much or you'll get an annoyingly crunchy crust. Let cool for as long as your patience allows and transfer to a serving platter. I was fortunate to get this lovely set (brand is called "The Cellar") from Macy's as a wedding present.