One of my favorite german sweets is a pear tart. What a perfect time of year to make one with pears coming into season and needed to take something to a potluck dinner 🙂

My favorite recipe from “Das Buch vom Backen – Die Grosse Schule” is listed below – it is a pear and almond tart.

Ingredients

Pastry
155g flour
90g cold butter (diced)
60g sugar
2 egg yolks
1-2 Tbsp ice-cold water (optional – use only if dough does not form a ball)

1. Combine the flour and the butter, by rubbing in the butter into the flour, until it appears crumbly.
2. Mix in sugar.
3. Make a well in center add in the egg yolks with a fork until pastry will stick slightly together to form a ball. If you think it is still too dry add 1 Tbsp of cold water
4. Put the mixture in glad wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes
5. After 30 minutes, place the dough between two plastic pieces of glad wrap and roll the dough out into a circle big enough to fit into a 24cm (~12 in. ) spring form cake tin.
6. Place dough in the tin, with baking paper covering the dough and weighed down with a pie weight. Place in the oven at 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).
7. Bake blind (i.e. covered) for 10 minutes, then take off the paper and pie weight bake for 10 more minutes.
8. Allow the pastry to cool.

Filling
165g softened butter
160g sugar
3 eggs
135g almond flour
1 1/2 Tbsp Flour
2 ripe pears (sliced)

1. Cream the butter and the sugar in a bowl for approximately 30 seconds.
2. Add one egg at a time and mix into the cream mixture until well blended
3. With a metal spoon mix in the almond flour and flour
4. Place the filling mixture into the pastry.
5. In a cross formation, place the pears into the filling; largest slices (outside edge) to smallest slices (towards the center).
6. Place the tart into the oven and bake at 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 50 minutes. You need to ensure that the center is cooked.
7. Take of the spring form cake tin, and allow the tart to cool for two hours.
8. To serve, sprinkle confectionary sugar (powdered sugar/icing sugar) on top; and serve. The tart goes great with a dollop of whip cream.

Linked up with Tuesday At the Table