If you are finding the pears starting to ripen faster than you can eat them this is a refreshing change from the usual pear crisp or pear pie. I will admit when I started this recipe I thought whip it up quick. While the whipping it up isn’t that difficult, there is a lot of waiting involved so you will need a few hours available.
Accessories: Blender and Plastic Bowl with Cookie Whips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (later)
Prepare: 10 inch Round Pan with Removable Bottom
Servings: 6 – 8
Filling Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup toasted almonds
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Flour
- Pinch Salt
- 1/4 cup Cold Butter (cubed or grated)
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1 Tsp. Almond or Vanilla Extract
- 2 Pears (reserve for later)
In Blender grind almonds with sugar, flour and salt till fine. Add butter, honey and extract and pulse till crumbly. Add eggs one at a time and blend till smooth. Transfer to bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1 hr.
Pastry Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 cup cold Butter cubed or grated
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp. Vinegar
In plastic bowl combine flour and salt. Cut in butter. To do this without splatters place overturned plate on bowl (as shown). In a measuring cup beat egg yolk and vinegar add enough cold water to total 1/3 cup. Pour over flour mixture and blend till dough gets clumpy (as shown), you may need to add another tbsp. or 2 of water to get this consistency. Shape into ball and wrap with plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry into 10 inch circle. Fit into pan. Cover with wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prick pastry at random with fork and cover with a sheet of tin foil. Cover foil with pie weights or I use dry beans and it works great. Bake in lower half of your oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights or beans. Bake another 5 minutes or until golden. Cool.
Once cool spread with the almond filling. Core, peel (optional) and slice pears. Gently place pear slices on filling. Cool oven to 375 degrees and bake in lower half of till puffed and golden. Delicious served warm with ice cream or at room temperature.