Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Cream Tart with Pears

I haven't found a lot of desserts incorporating pears.

Maybe because the season for fresh pears is so short.

Maybe because pears are so good just for fresh eating. I have not trouble encouraging my children to eat fruit when there is some fresh ripe pears on the counter. I canned a few pears but kept a lot our for eating fresh.

Several readers have encouraged me to try canning fruit with stevia for the sweetener instead of sugar. When one reader shared her great deal on stevia (which is usually quite expensive) I had to try it. Since pears are naturally sweet, I thought they would be a great way to start. I haven't opened up a jar yet, but I'll let you know the result - and whether I try it again next year!

But back to desserts - I love desserts with pears. We really enjoy the Golden Pear Cake, a luscious way to share the sweet fruit.

I recently picked up Seasonal Fruit Desserts at the library. If you like using seasonal fruits with healthier ingredients (notice I didn't say "healthy" - we are talking about desserts!) you'll like this cookbook as much as I did.

One of the favorite recipes that I've tried, was the Cream Tart. This would be a colorful dessert with some type of berry but was delicious using pears. I like the easy crust that didn't need rolled.
Cream Tart with Pears
Adapted from Seasonal Fruit Desserts


Tart Dough:
1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour

Beat butter with sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla, then flour, mixing just until combined. Spread in greased 9 inch round or square pan. The dough will be soft, more like a batter, but if it is extremely soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes. With spatula, spread out dough, pushing up the sides to make a rough rim.

3/4 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream or plain yogurt)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 T sugar
1/8 tsp salt
fruit (3 or 4 sliced pears OR 1-2 cups berries)

Whisk all but fruit together. For pears, place sliced pears over unbaked tart dough. Pour cream mixture over pears. For berries, pour cream mixture into unbaked tart dough. Dot berries over the top. For both, bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until puffy and pale gold. Remove even if custard is slightly wobbly as it will continue baking. Serve while warm.

5 comments :

  1. Sounds great! My husbands parents just gave us about 6 gallons of pears! This sounds like a great recipe to try. Although, like your family, we love eating them fresh!

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  2. Now I'm wishing I had me some pears! Do you think it would work with frozen blueberries?

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  3. Lydia -
    I think blueberries would work. I was thinking of trying them next! And I think the final dish would be lots prettier - pears look a little "blah"! But taste good!
    Gina

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  4. That sounds fabulous! I just got some pears last weekend and have been trying to decide what to make with them... now I know! :)

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  5. Gina, I actually got some pears to can (I thought I was too late) and so I saved some out and made this tonight. SO good! I liked that it wasn't extremely sweet and also that it was so easy to make. I only wish I would have put the 4th pear on. I thought 3 looked like plenty, but a 4th would have made it even better. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

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