Here is a tart I made last night for the family. The crust was so flaky and delicious and the pears were tart and not too sugary. I used a recipe that called for caramel but I didn't want all that sugar so I tweaked it. I also added almond slices into the crust which added an extra flavor and texture. Delicious!
Filling:
2 Bosc or Bartlet Pears
1 cup merlot (or any red wine)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Syrup:
leftover wine and juices from pear marinade
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 large egg yolk
Preheat oven to 375F.
Marinate sliced and pitted pears in wine, sugar and spices. Set aside.
Place flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Blend until combined. Add almonds.Slowly add butter, pulsing food processor until dough begins to clump. Place dough in fridge for 40 minutes (or up to 2 days). Place between two parchment sheets and roll out to about 12 inch round. Discard top parchment sheet.
Drain pears and place marinate liquid into saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce liquid on Medium heat by 1/4, or until syrupy.
Place pear slices back in bowl and add 1 Tbsp flour and Tbsp sugar. Mix.
Place pear slices in center of dough leaving aprox. 1 1/2 inch boarder. fold excess dough (your boarder) over tart. It shouldnt be perfect, otherwise it wouldn't be "Rustic"! Transfer parchment and tart onto baking sheet and bake for aprox. 20 mins or until crust is golden brown. Let cool and drizzle wine syrup over tart. Serve with creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream :)
Notes:
I like my pears to have a little crunch to them, so I cut thick slices, but if you would like them a little mushier, slice then thinner.
Also, switch it up! Use a sweet white wine like a Riesling instead and just add less sugar to your pear mixture!
