Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Tuesdays with Dorie—French Pear Tart

French Pear Tart"On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…" Dorie's French Pear Tart. And not just that but the Tuesdays with Dorie group was treated to an in-depth interview with Dorie who even joined in this week and baked and blogged with the rest of us. This truly is a fun and inspiring group to be a part of. Thanks Dorie and, of course, Laurie whose brainchild it was to start this group one year ago!
"The really stylish French hostess will mix store-bought with handmade for dessert and do it judiciously and with flair." — Dorie Greenspan from her article " When French Women Bake..." which won a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award
I'm being VERY French this week and have used both store-bought mini tart shells and canned pears. Ooh la la! After the [French] six-layer-extravaganza of a yule log that I made last week, this was a welcome change. It's "pretty nifty" and tasty!

Recipe

I halved the recipe and baked the minis for 30-35 minutes.

Ingredients for French Pear Tart
For the almond cream:
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
¾ cup ground blanched almonds
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg
2 teaspoons dark rum or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Tart shells
Can of pears

You can find the recipe for French Pear Tart in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Dorie Greenspan who chose the recipe for this week and will post the recipe.

French Pear TartTasting Notes
This tart is easy and delicious. I know it would be even better with the homemade nut crust and freshly-poached pears.

"If music be the food of love, play on."
— Shakespeare
Recipe for Next Week (January 13)
Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins on page 6 chosen by Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake.

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  • 40 comments:

    LyB said...

    Those little tarts are so cute! It is so great to have options for easy desserts, right? :)

    Anonymous said...

    I made mini tarts as well, but mine are not nearly as fancy!

    You did a superb job!

    Cathy said...

    I think I would need to hibernate for a month if I made that yule log! I think your tarts are adorable -- so pretty, as your creations always are!

    Scott at Real Epicurean said...

    They look so delicate and tasty!

    RecipeGirl said...

    What pretty little tarts! Great job :)

    Jules Someone said...

    Just gorgeous! I think I may have to buy mini tart pans.

    NKP said...

    Your tarts are too cute!
    I liked that we could use canned pears, I find the fresh ones pretty hit or miss in the grocers.

    Anonymous said...

    I agree - this was a fabulous dessert, and soooo much easier than the yule log!

    Manggy said...

    I LOVE the crimped edge! It looks sooo cute and adorable. Nice job Shari! :)

    Nancy/n.o.e said...

    You can't argue with the stylish French way of doing things, right? These tarts are simply adorable. The almond cream is the best part; and that's homemade. Great job.
    Nancy

    Marthe said...

    These look sooo cute!! I love mini's!!

    Linda said...

    those little tarts looks so dainty and delicious! i love the flexibility of this recipe.

    PheMom said...

    Those are just the cutest darn little tarts I've seen! I love it! Fantastic as always!

    Anonymous said...

    Ha, fantastic! Great mix and match of components!

    Anonymous said...

    I love the tartlets. They look great. Your pictures are always gorgeous.

    Anonymous said...

    adorable little tarts! happy new year, shari! :)

    Steph said...

    Your tart looks gorgeous!

    Katy said...

    I love your little mini tarts!! I'll have to remember that when serving this to a crowd. :)

    vibi said...

    How very sweet! ...Little mini tartelettes that give you the impression they're just not that rich... and that of course, you're allowed to have another one... and another one... and another one...

    Very, very nice, too cute, Shari!

    Anonymous said...

    You always have your own little twists that put everything over the top...these look very elegant and divinely delicious!

    The Food Librarian said...

    super duper cute! love all things mini. they look soooo delicious.

    Gretchen Noelle said...

    How fun that the almond puffed so much around the pears. They look just adorable!

    Sandy Smith said...

    Oh, these are so beautiful! I can't tell you how much I would love one right this minute! Great job, as always.

    Passionate Baker said...

    yummm...your tart looks great!
    cute idea !
    <3

    Katrina said...

    Love how they puffed up so cute! Great job.

    La Bella Cooks said...

    The little tarts are stunning! They would be such a hit here at my house.

    Mary Ann said...

    I loved this tart too~ Your minis are adorable!

    Beth G. @SweetLifeKitchen said...

    Yours are awesome! I love the idea of making minis. :O)

    G in Berlin said...

    Nice looking tart! The pear looks almost whipped- did it cook that way or was it how you cut it>

    natalia said...

    Ciao ! I love the mini tarts !! they are the cutest !

    chocolatechic said...

    So cute.

    I love the way the crust tastes.

    This is such a fabulous dessert.

    Anonymous said...

    Adorable! I never think of making minis, but they're so lovely. And the storebought crusts? Genius.

    Joie de vivre said...

    Well done! These look perfect with a cup of tea.

    kimberly salem said...

    they are adorable!! :) great idea to use the shells as a time saver. i am still recovering from christmas, myself. it was sooo delicious with the homemade crust too!

    TeaLady said...

    Oh, those are so pretty. I love the minis so many are making these days.

    CB said...

    Adorable little cuptarts! Beautiful pictures as always! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
    Clara @ iheartfood4thought

    Di said...

    The minis are so cute!

    Jacque said...

    Those are unbelievably cute!

    AmyRuth said...

    Shari,
    Those are pretty little pastry shells. Your tarts look fabulous. Wow only 99lbs. of butter. whew!
    AmyRuth

    Jaime said...

    your minis are very cute!