Over the holidays, we received a box of yummy treats from some friends that included these beauties.
Needless to say, we attacked the truffles and candied popcorn that were in the package first. I had planned, as I often do, to eat the fruit but I got sick and by the time I had started to feel better, they weren’t looking so great (and neither was I) but I was determined to not let them go to waste.
So I set out to make a tart, but almost immediately realized that my pears weren’t going to cooperate. They were overly ripe which resulted in a huge amount of juice in my pan and caused the pastry dough not to rise as it should have. Don’t get me wrong, we still enjoyed every bit of it. But, the tart was just not as pretty or flaky as I would have liked.
This got me curios about pears and after a bit of research I learned that pears, similarly to apples, are not created equal. What I wanted for my tart was a crisp Bosc pear which is not overly sweet and holds it’s shape when baked. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.
Having learned from my mistake, I decided to try my hand at a repeat performance. This time, success!
Then, while the tart was cooling and I was giving myself a pat on the back, my husband said “you know what would make this dessert better? Booze!”. This made my head spin faster than I thought it ever could. Anyone who knows Gary knows that the man can’t stand the taste of alcohol. The only thing he ever drinks is Coke, frappuccinos, water and the occasional cream soda. The man actually once asked a sommelier in a restaurant to bring him his best vintage bottle of Coke for God’s sake. So when he suggested “booze” I knew that I had a challenge on my hands. What could I make with booze that Gary would still enjoy? And then it hit me, brandy caramel.
Fifteen minutes later, this delightful concoction was ready. Sweet and salty with a hint of brandy. Then when drizzled over ice cream and served on top of the pear tart, perfection.
The only complaint that Gary had was having to wait to eat until after I took a picture. Not a bad day all in all.
French Pear Tart With Brandy Caramel
Ingredients
Pear Tart:
- 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
- 4-5 Bosc pears
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- 1/2 cup apricot jam
- 2 tbsp brandy (pear if you have it), cognac or water
Brandy Caramel:
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp brandy (pear if you have it) or cognac
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Pear Tart:
- Preheat oven to 400 °F
- Line a rimmed baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your work surface and lay out the puff pastry on top. Sprinkle the pastry with a bit more flour and roll it out to about a 10 x 11 inch rectangle. I used Pepperidge Farm puff pastry. Depending on the brand you use, you may end up with a slightly larger rectangle.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared sheet pan. Don't worry if the edges aren't perfect. This is a very rustic tart and I'm a huge fan of imperfection. If you prefer to trim the edges to make them more uniform, be my guest. I won't tell anyone. Refrigerate the dough while you prepare the filling. It's very important that it stays cold as that will allow the dough to puff up nicely once it's in the oven.
- Peel, core and half the pears. Cut each half crosswise in 1/4 inch slices.
- Shingle the pears along the outer edge of the dough. Then continue to make concentric circles working towards the center of the tart until all of the pastry is covered. I tend to use the smaller slices to fill in gaps as needed at the end.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle over the pears. I know this seems like a lot of sugar but this is necessary to achieve caramelization. Trust me.
- Dice the butter in small cubes and sprinkle evenly over the pears.
- Place in the oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes until the edges are brown. Don't be alarmed when the juices run off onto the sheet pan and burn This will make a huge mess of your pan but not the tart. *Note: Once cooled place your pan in the sink, add a bit of dish liquid and some warm water. Let it to soak for about 10-15 minutes allowing the burnt juices to melt away.
- Remove the tart from oven. Heat the jam together with the pear liquor until melted. Brush the tart completely with the mixture (including the edges).
- Using a large metal spatula, gently slide the tart onto a cutting board to keep it from sticking to the parchment paper.
- Allow to cool. Slice and serve at room temperature or slightly warmed with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream and a generous drizzle of the brandy caramel on top.
Brandy Caramel:
- Stir together the sugar and water in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Occasionally, swirl the pan slightly to even out the color as it begins to brown (about 10 minutes). Do not mix. Mixing the sugar solution will cause it to splash onto the sides of the pan where the water will evaporate and crystals will form. Trust me when I tell you, no one wants to have to clean up that mess.
- While the caramel is cooking, slightly warm the heavy cream. I usually pop it in the microwave for about a minute or so. Keep it warm.
- Once the caramel is amber in color, slowly whisk in the heavy cream and salt. The mixture will bubble up. This is fine. Continue whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the pear brandy and vanilla extract.
- Store any remaining caramel in the fridge for a few days. Rewarm slightly in the microwave prior to using. You will most likely end up with more caramel than you'll use for the tart which is a crying shame because you might be tempted to dip pretzels in it, or leftover pear slices or drizzle it on popcorn. Yeah, who wants to have that problem on their hands?