Pear and Pecan Tart
Toasted pecans, orange, sage, and pear combined together to create the most decadent fall flavored tart.
Servings: 9 " Tart
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 Sleeve Cinnamon Graham Crackers
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 pinch Salt
- ¼ c Butter melted
Pecan Frangipane
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter room temp.
- Zest of 1 Tangerine or Orange
- 2 tbsp Fresh Sage minced
- ½ c Sugar
- 2 Eggs room temp.
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 ½ c Pecans toasted and ground to a fine meal (toast in a 350 oven for about 7-0 minutes, until they begin to brown and release a heavenly pecan aroma into your kitchen. Then pulse in a food processor until they are finely ground. You can do this up to 5 days in advance)
Cinnamon, Vanilla, Orange Whipped Cream
- 1 c Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract
- Zest of ½ an Orange or Tangerine
- ½ tsp Cinnamon Ground
- 2-3 Ripe Pears Bosc or D'Anjou
- 2-3 tbsp Demerara Sugar
Instructions
Make the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Pulse your graham crackers, sugar, and salt in a food processor until a fine crumb has been obtained
- Drizzle in the melted butter until the dough comes together in a little ball
- Pour out onto your pie pan and press into the bottom and sides
- Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 7-10 minutes, until lightly browned
- Set aside to wait for the filling
Make the Pecan Frangipane:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or bowl with your handheld mixer), add everything but the pecans and cream until the butter is fluffy. This should take at least 2-3 minutes. Then, add your pecans and mix to just combine.
Make the Whipped Cream:
- Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and either whisk by hand with a balloon whisk or your mixer until the cream becomes as fluffy as a cloud.
Assemble your Tart:
- Pour frangipane into the prepared graham cracker crust and spread evenly across the surface.
- Layer your sliced pears in a decorative pattern around the top of the frangipane.
- Sprinkle demerara sugar over the surface
- Place on a sheet pan and bake on 375 for 40-50 minutes, until the frangipane is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into it comes out clean. Allow it to cool and then dust with powdered sugar and serve with the cinnamon, vanilla, and orange whipped cream.
Notes
If you choose to whip the cream by hand, choose a bowl 4 times larger than the liquid amount and whip inside of a sink to mitigate the mess. Quickly move your whisk back and forth, getting as much air as possible into the cream. It should take about 5-10 minutes to come together.
If you're using a stand mixer to make the whipped cream, affix some plastic wrap or beeswax cloth on the top of the bowl rim and set the mixer on high. The wrap should catch the flying cream and keep your kitchen mess to a minimum. The whipped cream will come together quickly within a minute or so. Don't whip it too long or you'll end up with butter.
If you're short on time, skip the homemade whipped cream and add a little cinnamon and orange zest to store bought whipped cream.
You can also save time by using a store bought graham cracker crust.