Pear Tart

This decadent Pear Tart with frangipane is a delightfully easy recipe to create. Use this simple but delicious recipe to wow your friends and family with a sweet, buttery treat.

If you love fruit tarts, you should try this Mini Tart Recipe with Mixed Berries and Bakewell Tart recipe.

Pear Tart Recipe Details

Dessert is often my favorite part of any meal. This pear tart recipe with Frangipane filling is a beautiful and somewhat decadent treat to make, but well worth the effort.

• TASTE: The baked ripe pears and flavorful almond Frangipane combined with the buttery crust makes such a wonderful combination!
• TEXTURE: Ripe juicy pears in an almond paste filling with a buttery crust, this Pear Tart is gorgeous and tastes amazing.
• TIME: This Pear Tart looks so good, but it only takes 90 minutes to make. And half of that is cook time!
• EASE: This dessert does take some effort, but it well worth it. These easy to follow directions will walk you through it, step by step.

What You’ll Need

For the Tart Crust:

• Dry ingredients- All-purpose flour, Powdered sugar, and Baking powder
• Wet ingredients- Cream cheese, Butter, Vanilla, and Egg
• Tart pan-10-inches with a removable bottom

Almond Frangipane Filling & Pears:

• Wet ingredients- Unsalted butter, Powdered sugar, Vanilla extract, Egg, and Rum
• Dry ingredients- Cornstarch and Blanched almond flour
• For the Pears- Williams pears and Lemon juice

For the Glaze:

• Granulated sugar
• Water
• Unsalted butter
• Lemon juice

How to Make a Pear Tart

Make the crust

• Combine dry ingredients. In a bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and baking powder.
• Add in the cream cheese cubes. Then cut the cold cream cheese into cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Mix it into the flour using forks or a pastry cutter until the cubes are the size of peas.
• Add the butter. Once the cream cheese is well incorporated, add the cold cubed butter and work it in the same way you did with the cream cheese.
• Mix in the egg and vanilla. In a small prep bowl, combine the egg and vanilla, then pour them into the dough and mix to combine.

Pro Tip: To mix the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture faster, you can also use your clean hands.

• Chill the dough. Form the dough into a disk-like shape. Then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Make the Frangipane Filling

• Make the almond Frangipane filling. Meanwhile, combine the softened butter and powdered sugar using an electric hand mixer in a bowl. Then add the vanilla extract, egg, and rum. Blend to combine.

• Form the crust dough. Once the dough has chilled, place it on a floured surface and roll it out to 13 inches in diameter. Then place it in a 10-inch tart pan (with removable bottom) and pierce it with a fork about 20-30 times, so it won’t bubble or puff up.
• Bake the crust. Fill the pan with pie weights to prevent the dough from bubbling in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Prepare the pears

• Peel and slice the pears. Peel the pears and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and place them into a large bowl.
• Toss in lemon juice. Then add the lemon juice immediately and a toss just to incorporate.

• Finish the frangipane filling. Now combine the almond flour with the cornstarch, and then add it to the egg and butter mixture. Blend to combine, and set aside.

• Add the filling to the crust. Once the tart has baked and cooled, fill it with the almond frangipane filling.
• Arrange the pear slices. Thinly slice the pear halves and slide an angled cake spatula under each pear. Using the palm of your hand, gently press the sliced pears so they fan out towards the stem of the pear. Make sure they still overlap each other fairly closely though.
• Add the pear tart topping. Transfer the pears into the Frangipane-filled tart. Lay them in such a way that the stem side of the pear is facing the center of the tart.

• Make the glaze. Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then add the butter and lemon juice. Let it simmer for 5-6 minutes until it begins to thicken.
• Glaze the pears. Using a pastry brush, spread the glaze over each pear. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes. Let cool and serve.

Recipe Tips

• Use ripe pears- Fresh ripe pears are the best for this recipe. If your pears are not fully ripened, you may need to poach them prior to assembling this Pear Tart.
• Make sure the cream cheese and butter are cold- For a rich buttery crust, you need chunks of cream cheese and butter. Keep them cold so they don’t entirely melt while baking.
• Roll the dough out big enough- You will need the dough for the crust to be a little bigger than the pan because it will need to cover the sides as well. Make sure it is 13 inches in diameter to do this.
• Let it cool before eating– If the custard filling is too hot, it will not set. Allow the Pear Tart to cool so the filling is firm enough to cut through and serve.

Add-ins and Substitutions

• Add a topping- You can dust the top with a bit of powdered sugar or add a drizzle of honey for extra sweetness. A dollop of Chantilly Cream is amazing!
• Make this dessert gluten-free- Since only the crust has wheat, just substitute a gluten-free flour there and this dessert is ready to go for the gluten-free crowd.
• Substitute other fruits- If you’d rather use a different fruit, this recipe is very versatile. Make a tart with apples, strawberries, peaches, raspberries, or any other fruit you like.
• Add spices- You can also add your favorite spices to this Pear Tart for additional flavor, such as cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, or cloves.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

This Pear Tart has a delicious mixture of sweet fruit and nutty flavor. You can serve it alongside almost anything for a delicious pairing.

• Main dishes: Serve this tart after a tasty meal of Turkey Shepherd’s Pie, Cast Iron Ribeye Steak, or Cedar Plank Salmon.
• Cookies: Serve a few cookies with your Pear Tart. Try Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam or Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti.
• Ice cream: A scoop of rich vanilla ice cream would be great with this recipe. Use this Easy Ube Ice Cream Recipe as a base to try.
• Coffee: Hot coffee or tea could be served with Pear Tart. For something fancier, make this Iced Caramel Macchiato or Caramel Frappuccino Recipe (Starbucks Copycat).

Make This Pear Tart in Advance

Make ahead: Parts of this recipe can be prepared ahead, such as the frangipane filling and the crust. But I would wait to slice the pears until you are ready to bake the tart.

Storing: Store any leftovers of this Pear Tart for 1-2 days in the refrigerator or at room temperature, covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

Freeze: Wrap the tart in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. When you are ready to serve, heat it in the oven until thawed and warmed through. Then let it cool slightly before serving.

More Tasty Dessert Dishes!

• Homemade Kiev Cake
• Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe with Raspberry Filling
• Homemade Strawberry Bundt Cake
• Nutella Baklava Recipe
• Homemade Apple Strudel

Full Recipe Instructions

Pear Tart

This decadent Pear Tart Recipe with Frangipane is a delightfully easy recipe to create.  Use this simple but delicious recipe to wow your friends and family. 

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 (10 inch) tart

Calories: 594kcal

Author: Dina

Ingredients

For the Tart Crust

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1/2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 4 oz cream cheese cold
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1/2 tsp vanilla
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom

Almond Frangipane Filling & Pears

• ▢ 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks
• ▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 tbsp rum
• ▢ 1 tsp cornstarch
• ▢ 1 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
• ▢ 3 ripe Williams pears
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice

For the Glaze

• ▢ 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup water
• ▢ 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Instructions:
• Make the crust first. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients for the dough; 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 1/2 tsp baking powder.
• Then cut up 4 oz of cold cream cheese into cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Now mix the cream cheese into the flour using forks or a pastry cutter. You can even use your clean hands to make it faster. Just make sure to mix until the cream cheese gets down to the size of a pea.
• Once the cream cheese is well incorporated, add 1/2 cup of cold cubed unsalted butter and work it in the same way you did with the cream cheese.
• Now, in a small prep bowl, combine 1 egg with 1/2 tsp of vanilla.
• Pour the egg and vanilla mixture into the dough and mix to combine. Form the dough into a disk-like shape. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Make the almond Frangipane filling. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine, 3/4 cups softened butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar using an electric hand mixer.
• Then add in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 egg, and 1 tbsp rum. Blend to combine.
• Combine 1 3/4 cup almond flour with 1 tsp cornstarch. Add it to the egg and butter mixture and blend until combined. Then set aside for later.
• Once the dough has chilled. Place it on a floured surface and roll it out to 13 inches in diameter. You will need it to be a little bigger than the pan.
• Transfer the dough to the 10-inch tart pan (with removable bottom) and pierce it with a fork about 20-30 times. This will help prevent it from bubbling and puffing up.
• Fill the pan with pie weights to prevent the dough from bubbling in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
• Prepare the pears. Peel 3 Williams pears and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and place them into a large bowl. Then add 2 Tbsp lemon juice immediately, and a toss just to incorporate. The acid in the lemon juice will prevent the pears from browning.
• Once the tart has baked and cooled, fill it with the almond frangipane filling.
• Thinly slice the pear halves and slide an angled cake spatula under each pear. using the palm of your hand gently press the sliced pears so they fan out towards the stem of the pear. But you still want them to overlap each other fairly closely.
• Transfer the pears into the Frangipane-filled tart. Lay them in such a way that the stem side of the pear is facing the center of the tart.
• Add the 1/4 cup water and 2 Tbsp sugar to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then add 2 Tbps butter and 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Let it simmer for 5-6 minutes until it begins to thicken. This will be the glaze.
• Using a pastry brush, spread the glaze over each pear. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.

Notes

FAQs answered in the post above:

• How to make this pear tart in advance
• How long will it keep?
• Can I freeze it?

Nutrition

Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.4g | Protein: 7.6g | Fat: 38.2g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 267mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 25.9g

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo of it and tag me on Instagram @simplyhomecooked or use the hashtag #simplyhomecooked so I can see it and feature it!

This recipe was originally posted on August 26, 2018, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then. 

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Dina

Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!

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