My neighbor has the most amazing pear tree that produces perfect pears, both wonderful to eat, and absolutely beautiful. Every year, she gives me free rein over her tree…. I can take whatever I need. I do, however, find it a constant race with the squirrels to see who can get the ripe fruit first! It is such a blessing to have access to such tasty, beautiful fruit.

Every year, I ponder what would be the best use of these juicy treasures. I happened to come across a recipe for a Pear Custard Tart from Williams Sonoma. It seemed to combine the best attributes of pears with a creamy custard filling. What could be better? I pretty much used their recipe, with a few slight alterations.

This Pear Custard Tart is simple to create and makes the perfect fall dessert. The pears are poached with orange peel, which gives a wonderful depth of flavor. A thick custard covers the pears, which creates a creamy texture with a pop of fruit in each bite. Toasted almonds add the added crunch and flavor. All of this sits in a half recipe of my Lard and Butter Pie Crust recipe. These separately amazing elements combine to create the perfect combination that will be a “just right” end to a meal, or a wonderful accompaniment to a cup of afternoon tea.

Some other wonder fall desserts to try:

Equipment

9" Tart Pan with Removable Bottom

Ingredients

Poached Pears

3 Cups Water
3/4 Cup Sugar
3 Pears, ripe yet firm, peeled, quartered, and cored Anjou or Bosc work wonderfully, as they keep their shape during cooking/baking
1 Orange, washed. Use only the peel by removing in strips with a vegetable peeler.
1 tsp Vanilla

Old Fashioned Pie Crust

1/2 Recipe Lard & Butter Pie Crust https://northwestfrench.com/lard-and-butter-pie-crust-a-flakey-tender-classic/
1 Egg Scrambled

Custard Filling

1/4 + 1T Cup Sugar, Divided
3 Tbsp Flour
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla
Pinch Salt
1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds, lightly toasted

Instructions

Poached Pears

Cut a circle of parchment paper that fits into a medium saucepan. Cut a small hole in the middle to allow the simple syrup to come to the top of the parchment. This will be used to submerge the pears. Set aside.
Add Water and Sugar to medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
While the water is on to boil, prepare the Pears by peeling, quartering, and coring.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the Orange, creating strips of peel.
Once water has boiled, reduce heat so that the liquid remains at a low simmer. Add the quartered Pears, Orange Peel, and Vanilla.
Lay the parchment paper circle on top of the Pears and submerge them.
Simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the pears are tender.
Remove from heat. Let pears cool in the liquid.

Pie Crust

While Pears are cooling, prepare half a recipe of Pie Crust
Preheat oven to 400℉
Roll out dough and transfer to a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim excess dough.
Line the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake until the crust is dried out and just starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights. Bake for another 5 or so minutes, until pale golden. Remove from oven.
Scramble the egg in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the inside of the tart crust with the egg wash to seal the crust and prevent sogginess. Bake the egg washed crust for 1 minute more to harden the egg and create a seal.
Remove from oven.

Adding the Pears

Cut each Pear quarter into 4 slices. Arrange in the cooked tart shell in a circular pattern, starting on the outside.
Use remaining Pear slices to fill the middle.

Custard Filling

In a medium bowl, beat together the Egg and the 1/4 cup Sugar until thick and pale.
Add the Cream, Vanilla, and Salt and beat until thick.
Gently pour the Custard mixture over the arranged Pears. Jiggle the tart to assure that the custard seeps in between all of the pears.

Finishing

Pop the tart into the oven for 10 minutes, until it starts to puff up. As it is cooking add the 1/4 cup Almonds to a pan and gently stir and toss over a medium heated burner until they are golden brown.
At the 10 minute mark, remove partially baked tart from the oven and sprinkle the Almonds over the tart. Finish off by sprinkling the reserved 1T Sugar over the tart.
Return tart to oven to finish baking for 15-20 minutes more, until the custard is lightly browned.
Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool until warm or room temperature before slicing and serving. You can also serve chilled.
Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!