LITTLE PEAR TARTS FOR KINFOLK


I mentioned last post that I am crazed about pears this time of year. Well, I couldn't resist another pear recipe for you....

Ever since we removed wheat from our kitchen four years ago, I've been making all sorts of almond shortbread. Almond meal and butter make such a delicious team - who needs wheat anyway. Now that it's pear season... an herbaceous pear tart with a buttery almond crust seems just the thing to satisfy, so this is just the recipe I though to share in the autumn issue of Kinfolk and I wanted to share with you too!

Using rosemary in the tart dough, and bay in the pear compote, we end up with a good hit of garden herbs. Keep in mind, that both the almond tart crust and the pear compote are wonderful eaten separately as well.


ROSEMARY ALMOND SHORTBREAD CRUST (INGREDIENTS) makes 4 tartlets
printable recipe
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/3 cup golden honey
  • 1.5 cups almond meal
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 small sprigs of rosemary for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients, except for the 4 extra sprigs of rosemary. Using your fingertips, press dough into the bottoms and sides of four 5 inch tart pans (buttered or nonstick). My girl Lilah loves to help with this part.

Repeatedly poke the surface of the dough with a fork. Bake 10 minutes, then poke the surface again with a fork to keep the dough from bubbling up too much. Return tarts to the oven and bake another 5-8 minutes until deep golden brown. Let cool. Serve at room temp, topped with pear compote (see recipe below.)

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PEAR COMPOTE WITH HONEY AND BAY (INGREDIENTS)
  • 3 ripe, but firm, pears (2 cups), peeled, quartered, and cut into thin slices
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup golden honey

Combine above ingredients in small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Cook vigorously for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid burning. Pour compote into a jar. Let cool. If you aren’t going to serve the tarts right away, cover your jar and refrigerate until later.

Just before serving, scoop pear compote onto the tart shells. Top each little tart with a sprig of rosemary, just for the beauty of it.

Take a bite, and let the pear juice drip down your chin.



80 comments:

  1. Exquisite tartlets! What a delicious flavor combination.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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    1. Thanks Rosa. Isn't it fun to get into fall flavors!
      xo
      E

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  2. Almond flour shortbread! That never occurred to me, but sounds really delicious (even for non GF folks)!

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    1. Sarah, I'm so glad to hear you say that! Almond flour is a delight - it adds so much depth and richness - and I don't know if I would have given it such a chance if I hadn't had to take wheat from my diet. I hope you'll give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed:)
      xo
      E

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  3. I was on a little tartlet kick that suddenly stopped. That is, until now! This recipe sounds perfect and it looks so elegant as well. Absolutely love the addition of rosemary, that smell only...!

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    1. Denise, funny about your tartlet kick....once you get some little tart pans don't you think it's hard not to want to use them?
      xo
      E

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  4. Almond and Rosemary sounds like an incredible flavor combo for a not-your-every-day crust. I can never get enough of either of those! :) I hope you and the family have a lovely and festive Halloween. Eat something yummy for me!

    xo,
    Christina

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    1. Thanks Christina Marie. We're gearing up for the big night on Wednesday... I always love walking around the neighborhood on Halloween seeing the kids runny around in their costumes. Such good old fashioned fun!
      xo
      E

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  5. Erin, you have put the flavors of fall to work. Everything looks delicious.

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    1. Hey Jane thanks! We're lucky that there's so much tasty stuff to work with this time of year.

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  6. Erin - what a lovely tart! Just sings fall! I could eat one of those tarts right now - just need to figure out how to extract it from the screen. Lovely photos!!!

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    1. Thanks Lisa. Wish I could pass one through the screen to you:)

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  7. Beautiful little tarts. And I love rosemary with fruit in baked goods -- cherries, apples, peaches, plums, you name it. Just adds such an interesting, unexpected lilt.

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    1. Me too Carolyn. I've been putting herbs into all sorts of fruit desserts and I love the earthiness. Rosemary is one of my favorites and thankfully the stuff is easy to grow!

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  8. I love the combination of herbs in the dough and bay in the compote- it helps that it looks beautiful too!

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  9. I am obsessed with pears at the moment, and love the idea of an herb-infused almond-pear tart.

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    1. Jess, I'm glad I'm not the only one obsessed with pears. I was just eating a sliced beauty this morning. I can't get enough.

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  10. I adore the idea of an almond and honey tart crust, definitely going to try this soon! And rosemary works so wonderfully with pastry - I've used it in treacle tart before and it's perfect to counteract the sweetness. Delicious!

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    1. Oh rosemary in a treacle tart sounds so good! Yum.

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  11. Do you have a bay tree in your yard? You must have one nearby, at least. I think fresh bay leaves are so incredible, and I haven't been able to pick any since my time in southern France. So different from dried bay, I think. So flavorful.

    Beautiful recipe! I love anything with almond flour, as it reminds me of madeleines (of course). While I don't have any tart pans (because as you mentioned above, I wouldn't be able to stop making tarts!), I might make these in a muffin pan. Can't resist those autumn flavors! xo

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    1. Hey there Emma, I don't have a bay tree in my little yard, but we have tons in the neighborhood growing like weeks. I often pick a branch on my morning walks. California bay is especially pungent and I love it!
      Let me know if you try the tarts. I'd love to hear what you think!

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  12. I love the idea of the rosemary in the shortbread crust. What a great combo of fall flavors!

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    1. Rosemary tastes made for shortbread. I hope you enjoy!

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  13. I love rosemary in so many things and I am enjoy using almond flour in my cooking. These look spectacular and delicious....so elegant too. I bet the aroma was beckoning.

    For some reason my bay leaf tree and my rosemary bush died this year. Something attacked them and I didn't catch it in time. I I will have to start with another branch and pop it into the soil. It was just getting to be the right size too. Onward and upward. Beautiful pictures by the way.

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    1. Me too Oli. Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs from the garden. So weird and sad that yours died. I find garden pests to be a constant mystery!

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  14. ooo delish! I absolutely love rosemary - just the smell enough alone is so gorgeous!! Your pears are so lovely :)

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    1. I feel the same way about rosemary - I have a big rosemary bush outside my bedroom window and I love that smell!
      Have safe travels Jane!

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  15. It sounds divine Erin! And they look adorable too :)
    xo

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    1. Thanks! They are fun to make. I think anything in little tart pans is instantly charming.

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  16. I never made shortbread with almonds and this sounds fantastic. Tell me about pears! I can't stop eating these :)

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    1. Kankana, what's your favorite type of pear? I love em all!

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  17. Erin, the photos are stunning, and the tarts sound delicious!!

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  18. Erin, these tarts look incredible! I'm in love with pears too right now, and how wonderful that you paired (!!) them with rosemary. I've never baked with almond meal, but will search it out. Thank you!

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    1. Like your pair/pear pun Renee;) Oh I think you'll love almond meal for your baking.... It's so rich and delish!

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  19. Oh yum! I love sneaking herbs into sweet treats wherever possible xx

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    1. Me too Emma. Getting even a little taste of the garden makes all the difference.

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  20. Erin, what a beautiful tart. I haven't cooked with pears yet this autumn, I should get a move on. You're always such an inspiration. Congratulations on your contribution to Kinfolk. I love that magazine.

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    1. Thanks Magda. Kinfolk does such beautiful work, I was happy to partake!

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  21. Pear and rosemary! Of course. How delicious.

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    1. Skylor, They are a good pair...sorry, the pun cannot be helped:)

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  22. Just browsing until I ended up here. Your blog is very interesting. I would like to try some of your recipes. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Hey there Kathy. I'm glad you ended up here... welcome:)

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  23. You are speaking my language! I'm gluten free too, and sweets and baked goods are like the wild west to me. But pears and rosemary, that's a thing I love. And the bay leaf is genius.

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    1. Kimberley, I had no idea you were gluten-free. Wow there are so many of us! You're so right...GF baking can really feel like the Wild West, but it's also so fun - we are less constrained by the rules of traditional baking. Four years ago when we went gluten-free, I had to quickly become a good baker to make treats for my kiddos so they wouldn't be too bummed at having a GF household. I can't say I've minded the treats either!
      xo
      E

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  24. The herbs sound great in the crust and compote! And, now I'm wondering why I haven't baked anything with pears yet this fall. I have more baking to do, clearly.

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    1. Lisa, I'm sure you're cooking up all sorts of good stuff over there!

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  25. That flavor combination sounds sublime and I am loving all the textures and colours in the first photo. Just lovely

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  26. This combination of flavours sounds gorgeous, so perfect for the autumn season! Love the pear compote in particular, can't wait to give that a try.

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    1. Lucy, the pear compote would be good in all sorts of ways... on a bowl of yogurt in the morning, or slathered on crepes. Or on top of vanilla or caramel ice cream.

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  27. This looks delicious. I love the addition of the rosemary to the pie crust. How clever! My kids eat about a zillion pears a day this time of year, and this looks like a fun recipe to involve them in too!

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    1. Kristen, thanks! I'm with your kiddos - pears are sooooo good. And if they are like my kiddos, I think they'll have a great time making the crust - my 8 year old Lilah can do the whole thing herself.

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    2. Erin,

      How fantastic that your daughter can make the crust by herself! I love baking and cooking with my kids. We are leaning (slowly) into a more plant based diet in our house, so I'll be making a vegan version of these with the kiddos soon. Thanks for the recipe!

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    3. Kristen, Let me know how the vegan version goes. I'll be so curious to hear! Happy cooking to you and your kids. xo

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  28. Really beautiful! I love the touch of herbs, and I always think rosemary sprigs make such a lovely garnish!

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    1. Me too Dulcie, It's amazing how much satisfaction some fresh herbs can bring to the table. Even if they are just sitting in a mason jar with a little water;)

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  29. These look and sound delicious!
    Love pear tarts.. but I love even more the addition of the rosemary! Perfect!

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  30. Hi,

    I'll be featuring your amazing looking pear tart on the 18th of November and I hope that is ok? I'm a new happy follower of your lovely blog and would be happy if you would like to do the same for me.

    www.meandmysweets.blogspot.com

    Cheers!

    Johanna

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    1. Hi Joanna, I'll look forward to seeing the tart on your site. BTW I'm impressed that you are so well scheduled for your posts!
      Warmly,
      E

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  31. Gorgeous pears, gorgeous shortbread---almonds, of course! You are a star.

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    1. Always good to hear from you Julia! You are the star, Mama, you're always cooking up something cool. xo

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  32. Erin, beautiful photos! I want a piece now :). Btw, what camera and lens are you using? I don't know if I've asked you this before. Thanks!

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    1. Hey there Jenn! I wish I could share a piece with you.
      I shoot with a Canon 5DMarkII and use mostly different prime lenses: a 50mm, and a 100 macro.
      I hope you're well!
      xo

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  33. oh those beautiful little hands pressing in the dough. just so precious!

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    1. I swoon at the site of those little fingers. She is such a good helper in the kitchen. Maybe we need to get all four of our kiddos together for a little cookin sometime?
      xxoo
      E

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  34. oh, Erin these are really gorgeous,
    such wonderful combo of pear, honey and rosemary!!!

    will be trying this recipe for sure!

    and CONGRATS on Kinflok, you are on a roll girl!

    m.

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    1. Thanks M! Life is pretty darned good. No complaints here. I hope you are well. I miss seeing your work in the kitchen.
      Wishing you well,
      E

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  35. UstabahippieDecember 10, 2012

    Hello Erin,
    I have to share with you that as I was making yet another batch of this lovely pear compote yesteday afternoon, I apparently attracted a swarm of bees as I was cooking it. They swept one by one into my kitchen and had to be subdued with some sage smoke and the old stovepipe opening in the ceiling securely covered to keep them out until I could finish cooking and hide the pears in honey in the fridge. Whew!

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  36. Wow! So crazy about the bees. Who knew that cooking would draw a swarm;)
    I'm glad you didn't get stung!
    I hope the holidays are treating you well,
    E

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    1. ustabahippieDecember 11, 2012

      Thanks, I keep scarfing up the compote before I can't even think about making the tarts!
      Hopefully I'll get some done for a holiday meal. <:~)

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    2. I'm so happy to hear that you're scarfing the compote. Have you tried in on Greek Yogurt? Maybe with some hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts tossed in? SO GOOD!

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  37. I'm not able to find almond meal at 2 of the local grocery stores. Can you please recommend a substitution?

    Thank you.

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    1. Oh no. That's so frustrating. You can buy blanched almonds (I usually see them as slivered almonds) and grind them in a coffee grinder, mortar and pestle, blender or food processor. Even a coarse grind would be good for these rustic little tarts. I hope this helps.
      Happy cooking, Erin

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    2. I'll give that a try. Thanks again for the suggestion :)

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  38. Sounds really good definitely going to try these.

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  39. These look great. Any idea about freezing the dough in 4 portions to bake off little tarts later when we want?

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    1. Hi Salvegging, I haven't tried freezing the almond flour dough and am not sure if it will hold its texture.. but maybe worth a try? That said, the dough couldn't be much easier to make for quick tartlets anytime:)

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  40. This looks amazing! Does it use a fresh or dried bay leaf?

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  41. I've used both fresh and dry. Delicious either way!

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So good to hear from you... I appreciate each and every note you leave for me!

Thanks,
E