Tuesdays with Dorie—French Pear Tart

"On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…" Dorie's French Pear Tart. And not just that but the Tuesdays with Dorie group was treated to an in-depth interview with Dorie who even joined in this week and baked and blogged with the rest of us. This truly is a fun and inspiring group to be a part of. Thanks Dorie and, of course, Laurie whose brainchild it was to start this group one year ago!

"The really stylish French hostess will mix store-bought with handmade for dessert and do it judiciously and with flair." — Dorie Greenspan from her article " When French Women Bake..." which won a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award

I'm being VERY French this week and have used both store-bought mini tart shells and canned pears. Ooh la la! After the [French] six-layer-extravaganza of a yule log that I made last week, this was a welcome change. It's "pretty nifty" and tasty!

Recipe

I halved the recipe and baked the minis for 30-35 minutes.

For the almond cream:
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
¾ cup ground blanched almonds
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg
2 teaspoons dark rum or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Tart shells
Can of pears
You can find the recipe for French Pear Tart in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Dorie Greenspan who chose the recipe for this week and will post the recipe.

Tasting Notes
This tart is easy and delicious. I know it would be even better with the homemade nut crust and freshly-poached pears.

"If music be the food of love, play on."
— Shakespeare

Recipe for Next Week (January 13)
Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins on page 6.

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