Hello, young Padawan
There are desserts that we like to have everything we need in our cupboards so we can make them on the go whenever we need them. Today, we will make a very traditional pie that is simple and easy to make, just to celebrate the upcoming holidays or those in a hurry among us.
The recipe requires canned pears, but it is still, or almost, a seasonal recipe since the season for Williams pears is from mid-July to March. Therefore, you can use fresh pears, provided you poach them first, 2-3 minutes in boiling water; after peeling them, cut them in half and seed them.
That said, it is a tart base that can be a canvas for your creativity, made with all kinds of fruit. Pears, of course, but also apricots, cherries, and even raspberries! Let your imagination run wild and experiment with different fruit combinations.
So, let’s move on to the traditional and official recipe for tarte Bourdaloue, or pear-amandine pie. It takes its name from 7 rue de la Bourdaloue, in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, where its creator, Nicolas Bourgoin of Maison Lesserteur, was established.
La tarte Bourdaloue
For the shortcrust pastry
4.4 oz of flour
2.6 oz of butter, in small cubes, cold.
1.76 oz of icing sugar
0.35 oz of almond powder
0.88 oz of beaten eggs
1 pinch of salt.
For the almond cream
1.76 oz butter, in small cubes, cold.
1.76 oz of icing sugar
1.76 oz of almond powder
1.76 oz of beaten eggs
1 cap of rum
1 pinch of Madagascar vanilla powder
1 pinch of salt.
1 can of half-fruited Williams pears in light syrup (you need six half-pears, at least for an 8.66-inch mold).
A few handfuls of flaked almonds for decoration.
You will need either a tart ring, a silpat (silicone mat the size of your baking sheet), and a baking tray—or a classic tart mold. The circle used for the photo is 8.66 inches in diameter.
Recipe
For the shortcrust pastry:
Using a food processor or by hand, “sand” the flour with the butter previously cut into small cubes, the salt, the icing sugar, and the almond powder. This involves either running the KitchenAid-type pastry robot at a slow speed with the leaf tool or gently rubbing the ingredients between your hands to obtain something like a coarse semolina after a few minutes. Be careful not to warm up the butter.
Once this step has been achieved, add the egg, knead the dough, and stop the work as soon as the shortbread dough is formed so as not to reheat it. Alternatively, keep the leaf tool for the robot, still at the same speed, and stop as soon as the dough is formed.
Form a ball, cover it with a wrap, and place it in the fridge for an hour.
For the almond cream:
In a food processor, work the butter with the leaf tool, making it soft but not like cream. By hand, in a mixing bowl, work it with a whisk, regularly removing the butter that amalgamates in the threads, the same to relax it but without making it too creamy.
Add the sifted icing sugar all at once, then, once mixed with the butter, do the same with the almond powder.
Add the eggs very gradually, using a foil for the robot or a spatula for the hand version; all of the liquid must be incorporated before adding more. Add the pinch of salt, the vanilla powder and the cap of rum, then stir again.
Cover and store in the refrigerator until use.
Drain the pears and set aside at room temperature until the shortcrust pastry is ready to rest.
Assembling the pie:
Preheat the oven to 329 °F.
Butter and flour the tart mold (or butter the pastry circle – and butter and flour the plate if you don’t have a silicone mat) without forgetting to tap off the excess flour over a sink.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll it into a disk the size of your mold (or your circle) using a rolling pin or an empty wine bottle; that works, too. Lightly flour the work surface and the rolling pin beforehand.
Once the disk is obtained, wrap it around the rolling pin (or bottle) and unroll it above the tart mold (or circle). Line the dough, i.e., place it in the mold and gently adhere it to the edges of the mold (or circle), with a “descending” gesture, to expel the air bubbles and obtain a pretty tart. Once the dough is well settled in its mold (or circle), remove the excess dough with a knife, then prick the bottom and edges of the tart.
Take the almond cream out of the refrigerator, then place it flat on the bottom of the tart.
Using a cutting board and a smooth knife, cut six or seven slices from each pear half widthwise (that is, mark where the top and bottom are, and you cut six to seven times, from top to bottom).
While keeping it as shaped as possible, take it with the flat surface of your knife and place it delicately in the tart. Once done, push it lightly (“up” direction: from the edge of the mold towards the center) so that the pear slices are slightly diagonal. It will look prettier.
Do the same with the other pear halves, so as to form a pretty daisy with six petals on the tart. If you have half an extra pear left, place it in the center, without placing the slices diagonally this time.
If you have a larger pie pan, you will need to add more pear halves to form a daisy with eight or more petals.
Sprinkle the small flaked almonds where there are no pears (on the visible almond cream), and bake for 30-35 min.
The pie is done when it smells good in your kitchen and is evenly browned.
Presentation
Please wait for the tart to cool before handling it. Remove the circle or carefully unmold, then slide the tart into a large dish.
This delicious dessert can be served with an nice spiced black tea, such as chai tea, a hard cider, or the infused water of your choice, like this one, this one, this one, this one, or this one here, or even this iced tea here. You are spoiled for choice.
And here is the divine pie of the day, a perfect way to celebrate the holidays in style with ingredients that are likely in your cupboards. I hope you enjoy this dessert and have a wonderful weekend or vacation. Looking forward to sharing more recipes with you next Friday!
XO 🍐
This is a “Pac-Man” pie!