Even Bartletts, which usually fall apart when cooked, will attractively keep their shape in this simple and tasty tart.
You can bake it in a square tart pan for a modern appeal, or lay the pears in concentric circles in a standard tart pan or pie plate for a classic and homier look.
Use your favorite store-bought crust or make your favorite pie crust recipe (I like to use this Flaky Pie Crust).
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- 1 pie crust
- 3 large, 4 medium, or 5 small pears, quartered, cored, peeled, and sliced
- 2/3 cup sugar, divided
- 1 Tbsp.lemon juice
- Preheat an oven to 350°F.
- Line a 10-inch tart pan or pie with your favorite homemade or store-bought pie or tart crust. Alternatively, you can lay the rolled-out crust on a baking sheet for a free-form tart. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl toss pear slices with 1/3 cup sugar and lemon juice. Arrange the pear slices on crust - you can just dump them in and spread them out for a very rustic dessert, or arrange them in neat rows or concentric circles for a more elegant presentation. Reserve 4 or 5 slices of pear. Crimp the edges of the crust (see how to crimp a pie crust here if you've never done it before), or roll them up a bit to create an edge if you've gone free-form.
- Bake the tart until the crust is brown on the edges and pears are tender, about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, reserved pear slices, and 1/3 cup of water to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook, undisturbed, until the syrup thickens, about 10 minutes. Set it aside.
- While tart cools, brush it generously with the syrup. Serve the tart warm or at room temperature.
Makes 1 Pear Tart which can serve 6 to 10.