Swiss Cinnamon Pear Tart
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Pastry:
10-inch tart pan, 1” deep
Use same dough as for a pie (homemade or refrigerated pre-made)
Filling:
3T of finely ground hazelnuts
Cinnamon/sugar mixture (1/4 tsp. cinnamon with 2T of sugar)
2 ripe pears, slice thinly (you can also use plums)
1-2T of Edelbrand vinars da péra – pear brandy
Custard:
200ml of heavy cream (about 7/8’s of a cup). You can substitute Half & Half
1 egg
1T flour
4T sugar
Instructions:
-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit; place rack in lower half of oven.
-
Lightly spray tart pan with cooking spray or use parchment paper.
-
Roll out pie dough into a circle and lay into base of tart pan, pressing well into sides.
-
Prick (lightly so as not to scratch tart pan surface) base all over with a fork.
-
Spread hazelnuts evenly over pastry.
-
Place tart pan into freezer for 20 minutes. This makes the tart crust flaky when baked.
-
Slice fruit thinly and pour 1-2 tablespoons of Edelbrand vinars da péra over the fruit. Gently move fruit so all fruit comes in contact with vinars. Set aside.
-
Whisk together custard ingredients, making sure to mix in sugar thoroughly.
-
Remove pastry from freezer and lay sliced pears in a circular design, starting with the outer edge. I usually end up with 3 full circles, overlapping each circle with the other until I reach the center.
-
Optional: if you like herbs, experiment by dicing basil or dill for pears, rosemary or thyme for plums and sprinkle on top of fruit.
-
Pour custard mixture in circular direction slowly over pears, being careful not to go over the top edge of the crust. You may have some custard left over.
-
Lightly sprinkle pears with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
-
Bake approximately 30 minutes, until filling is golden brown.
-
Remove and cool on wire rack for 20 minutes before serving.
-
Use wooden or plastic utensil to cut and remove slices so as not to scratch tart pan surface.