Pear-Almond Tart

I am currently trying to remove all the bugs while uploading lost pictures to this site. Please excuse the ongoing construction.

 I originally posted this recipe in November of 2011.
 I thought it deserved a long awaited update. Enjoy!!
 

I love me a tart. I love to make me a tart. They are easy to prepare and easy to eat. They most always contain less sugar (no icing) and I would say they almost always contain fruit.

What's not to love?

Best thing aout tarts is the press in crusts. I am totally rolled crust deficient so I took a pear filling recipe from Ellie Krieger and created a Diabetic Friendly shortbread crust.

I think a slice of tart is a very nice way to end a meal. Bakery tarts tend to be overly sweet and I like that this recipe is naturally sweet. Serve with a nice dollop of creme fraiche, or even better a creme anglaise (just melt a good quality low fat vanilla ice cream).

Tarts are the perfect dessert for people looking for a slightly sweetened fresh fruit filling to sit on just enough crust, but not too much, to satisfy the carb lover in all of us.

This tart had better come out perfect. I went to a lot of trouble to buy these pears.
Why is it that everytime I get a hankering to bake, it's always during a blizzard?
All the local stores here had no electricity and the Walmart (while it was open for business), their coolers were empty and in the process of being scrubbed and cleaned. I imagine when the electricity went, the food did also.

Determined to find a market I drove to our old stomping grounds in Rockaway where there is not one, but two, Shop-Rites. Their parking lot had hardly any snow.

Pear Almond Tart
serves 8

Crust:
* 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup almond flour
* 1/4 cup granulated (no sub here, we need the moisture of real sugar but you could use palm sugar)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
* 1 large egg yolk

Filling:
* 3 medium very ripe pears
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 cup thinly sliced almonds

Glaze:
* 1 teaspoon amber agave
* 1/4 teaspoon hot water

Directions:
1. To prepare the crust, in a processor pulse together all the flours, sugar sub and salt. Add the butter and yolk and process until a dough forms. Pat the dough into a 9" tart pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare the filling. Peel the pears, core them and cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl toss the pear slices with the lemon juice. Sprinkle in the cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon and toss until the pears are evenly coated. Set aside.
3. Arrange the pears evenly in the center of the tart pan. Sprinkle the almonds evenly on top of the pears.
4. Bake the tart for 30 minutes until the almonds and the crust is golden brown.
5. In a small bowl stir together the agave and hot water to make a glaze. When the tart is done remove it from the oven and brush the glaze all over the top of the fruit and crust. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut into 6 wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.


Per Serving:
Calories 220 Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 5 g, Mono Fat 2 g, Poly Fat 0 g) ; Protein 3 g; Carb 36 g; Fiber 4 g; Cholesterol 20 mg; Sodium 55 mg
Good source of: Fiber, Thiamin