
This easy to make Pear Tart features sweet pears nestled in delicious almond frangipane, all encased in a tender pastry. It sounds like it might be complicated to make, but nothing could be further from the truth. The recipe comes from my late mother-in-law’s recipe collection and it is still a firm family favourite.
Perfect for Last Minute Entertaining
If you love easy dessert recipes, you will love this easy Pear Tart! You don’t even have to roll out the pastry unless you want to. The recipe even uses canned pears. In fact, you may even have all the ingredients on hand in your store cupboard right now.
Pear Tart History
My mother-in-law used to make this easy recipe all the time. The recipe I use is taken from a homemade, spiral bound collection of recipes made and illustrated by my husband and his sister when they were little. My sister in law gave me one of two copies of this treasure not long after I met my husband, and I cook from it regularly. It was so lovely to have a collection of recipes I knew my husband enjoyed that I could make right from the start!
The first time my mother-in-law made the Pear Tart for me, we were visiting my in-laws’ house in Normandy, France. I enjoyed the tart so much, she bought me a pyrex tart dish of my own in a local store so I could make the recipe at home. Thirty years later, I still use the same dish when I make Pear Tart. I am constantly amazed by the different ways in which cooking comforts us and unites us with our family members across time and space, even after they are no longer with us.
How To Serve Pear Tart
Enjoy this Rustic Pear Tart with cream or (my personal favourite) ice cream. You can also drizzle it with chocolate sauce and sprinkle it with sliced almonds for an extra special treat. I still like to serve some good vanilla ice cream on the side when I do this.
How Long Does Pear Tart Keep For?
This lovely dessert is best eaten within 24 hours. Keep leftovers covered at room temperature; please do not refrigerate the tart as it can make the crust become tough.
Easy Pear Tart – Printable Recipe
Pear Tart – an Easy Family Recipe
Ingredients
- For the pastry:
- 1¾ cups flour
- ½ cup butter, cut in small cubes
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons apricot or peach jam
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ cups ground almonds Ground almonds are also known as almond flour
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled a bit
- 1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur You can substitute 1 teaspoon almond extract if you prefer
- 3 tablespoons cream or half and half
- 2 medium tins of pear halves in juice or syrup, well drained You need about six nice pear halves
- 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
- 2 tablespoons toasted flaked almonds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ or 160℃.
- You will need a tart pan or pie dish approximately 8 inches or 20 cm round.
- Cut the flour and butter together in a bowl (or use an electric mixer or food processor) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the sugar.
- Gradually add the milk until you have a soft pliable dough that you can make into a large ball. If you want to roll out your pastry, you’ll need to pop it into the fridge to chill for about an hour before rolling. However, I often just press this easy pastry into the tart dish, working it up the edges. Pop the the fridge while you make the filling.
- Mix together the sugar, ground almonds, egg and egg yolk, melted butter, cream and the liqueur or almond flavouring until you have a smooth batter.
- Get the pastry out of the fridge and using a pastry brush, coat the pastry in the apricot jam. Pour the filling on top of this and spread it evenly to the edges. Arrange the pears on top of this mixture, gently pressing them into it so it comes up round the edges of the pears, but leaves the tops uncovered.
- Sprinkle with Demerara sugar and the flaked almonds (if using).
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tart is lightly browned and the filling set.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Serve this warm or at room temperature with cream or ice cream.
- Best eaten within 24 hours. Do not refrigerate or the crust will go very hard.
Notes
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale
- 1 8 inch (20 cm) tart pan I use a the pyrex tart dish my late mother-in-law gave me, but you can also use a loose-bottomed tart pan.
did you make this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
April, this looks so pretty, and I am a frangipane fan. I love that it was made by your mother-in-law and that you have your husband’s childhood recipe book!
Thank you so much, Jean 🙂 I’m so grateful to have the recipe book as well!
You had me at frangipane, too! It was lovely to see your family recipe collection also.
Thank you, Pauline 🙂
This looks fabulous, April. It’s nice to make heirloom recipes that have passed the test of time.
Thank you, Pat! This is a real family favourite 🙂