GLUTEN FREE PEAR CUSTARD TART

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     The holidays are here and I have been baking quite a bit.  I made this recipe twice in one week to serve to dinner quests (on two different nights).  Everyone loved it.  Besides tasting wonderful this tart looks impressive.  People asked which bakery it was from because they couldn’t believe that it was homemade (and they wanted to buy one).

     It is easy to find sweet ripe pears this time of year.  I used Anjou because they were on sale, but you can use any other variety that is available and ripe.  This recipe can also be used with other fruit such as apples, peaches and plums.  The shortbread crust is delicate and tastes divine.  I have made this recipe with other fruit and not added the custard, but the custard goes very well with the soft pears.

     This tart is easier than most because you just press the crust into the pan and no rolling out of the dough is necessary.  I adjust the amount of sugar in the tart according to how sweet the fruit is.  The amount of sugar in the recipe should work well for most people’s taste, but I tend to prefer things less sweet and usually leave out two to four tablespoons of sugar from the mix that tops the fruit.  The amount of sugar in the crust is perfect.

    

GLUTEN FREE PEAR CUSTARD TART

Makes one 9” tart     

Ingredients

CRUST

1 cup	Sorghum Flour
½ cup	Tapioca Flour
¼ cup	Chickpea Flour
½ tsp.	Xanthan Gum
⅛ tsp.	Himalayan Sea Salt
¼ cup	Sugar (I used evaporated cane juice crystals.)
½ cup/4 oz.	Unsalted Butter (if using salted butter omit the salt from the recipe) - at room temperature

FILLING

3-4 medium sized	Ripe Pears
½ cup	Sugar (I used evaporated cane juice crystals.)
¼ cup	Cornstarch (use less if fruit is dry or more if very juicy)
½ tsp.	Cinnamon

CUSTARD

1 cup	Heavy Cream
2 large	Eggs
2 Tbs.	Sugar

Directions

1)   Preheat oven to 375℉.  Prepare a 9” springform pan by lining the bottom with a cake cardboard.  If you do not have a cake cardboard on hand just cut a circle of cardboard from a corrugated box and then cover the cardboard completely with aluminum foil.

2)   In a medium sized bowl add the flours, salt, xanthan gum & sugar and mix well.  Using a pastry cutter, two knives, a fork or your fingers mix the butter into the flour mixture until all the flour is coated and the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. (See my Peach Tart post for photos about making the tart dough and pressing it into the pan.)

3)   Pour the flour mixture into the prepared springform pan.  Use your fingers to press the crust along the bottom and about 1inch up the side of the pan.

4)   Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake the empty crust for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Partially baked tart crust in springform pan.

5)   In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon from the filling ingredients.  Reserve two tablespoons to sprinkle on top of the fruit and sprinkle the rest of the mixture evenly over the bottom of the crust.

Filling mixture sprinkled over the bottom of the partially baked crust.
Note the reserved mixture in the blue bowl. 

6)   Peel, halve and core the pears.  Cut each half pear crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices.

One pear half, sliced crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices.

7)   Arrange the cut pears in a circle so that they are evenly spaced around the tart.  Place the large end of the pear towards the outside edge of the tart and the smaller end towards the center of the tart.

8)   Fan out the slices of each pear half by gently pressing and pushing the top of the cut pears towards the center of the tart.

Fanning out the sliced pear.

Pear halves arranged in a circle and fanned out.

9)   Sprinkle the top of the pears with the reserved 2 Tbs. of the filling mixture.

Pears topped with the reserved filling mixture.

10)Bake for 25 minutes and remove from the oven.  Increase the oven temperature to 400℉.

Tart after baking 25 minutes.

11)In a small bowl whisk together the custard ingredients and pour over the baked pears.  The custard will over fill the crust edges, this is OK.

Custard poured over the partially baked pears.

12)Return the tart to the oven and bake another 30 minutes.  If the top starts to brown cover the tart loosely with foil to prevent it from getting too dark.

Tart after additional 30 minutes of baking with the custard.

13)Allow the tart to cool for about a half an hour on a rack.  Run a knife or spatula around the edges of the pan.  Loosen the outer ring of the springform pan and gently remove it.  Use a pointed knife to lift an edge of the cardboard from the bottom of the pan.  Gently slide the tart on the cardboard onto to a serving dish. 

14)Serve warm or at room temperature.  If making the tart ahead of time it should be refrigerated and then allowed to come to room temperature when ready to serve.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

GLUTEN FREE PEAR CUSTARD TART Makes one 9” tart Ingredients CRUST 1 cup Sorghum Flour ½ cup Tapioca Flour ¼ cup Chickpea Flour ½ tsp. Xanthan Gum ⅛ tsp. Himalayan Sea Salt ¼ cup Sugar (I used evaporated cane juice crystals.) ½ cup/4 oz. Unsalted Butter (if using salted butter omit the salt from the recipe) - at room temperature FILLING 3-4 medium sized Ripe Pears ½ cup Sugar (I used evaporated cane juice crystals.) ¼ cup Cornstarch (use less if fruit is dry or more if very juicy) ½ tsp. Cinnamon CUSTARD 1 cup Heavy Cream 2 large Eggs 2 Tbs. Sugar Directions 1) Preheat oven to 375℉. Prepare a 9” springform pan by lining the bottom with a cake cardboard. If you do not have a cake cardboard on hand just cut a circle of cardboard from a corrugated box and then cover the cardboard completely with aluminum foil. 2) In a medium sized bowl add the flours, salt, xanthan gum & sugar and mix well. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, a fork or your fingers mix the butter into the flour mixture until all the flour is coated and the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. 3) Pour the flour mixture into the prepared springform pan. Use your fingers to press the crust along the bottom and about 1” up the side of the pan. 4) Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake the empty crust for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. 5) In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon from the filling ingredients. Reserve two tablespoons to sprinkle on top of the fruit and sprinkle the rest of the mixture evenly over the bottom of the crust. 6) Peel, halve and core the pears. Cut each half pear crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices. 7) Arrange the cut pears in a circle so that they are evenly spaced around the tart. Place the large end of the pear towards the outside edge of the tart and the smaller end towards the center of the tart. 8) Fan out the slices of each pear half by gently pressing and pushing the top of the cut pears towards the center of the tart. 9) Sprinkle the top of the pears with the reserved 2 Tbs. of the filling mixture. 10) Bake for 25 minutes and remove from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 400℉. 11) In a small bowl whisk together the custard ingredients and pour over the baked pears. The custard will over fill the crust edges, this is OK. 12) Return the tart to the oven and bake another 30 minutes. If the top starts to brown cover the tart loosely with foil to prevent it from getting too dark. 13) Allow the tart to cool for about a half an hour on a rack. Run a knife or spatula around the edges of the pan. Loosen the outer ring of the springform pan and gently remove it. Use a pointed knife to lift an edge of the cardboard from the bottom of the pan. Gently slide the tart on the cardboard onto to a serving dish. 14) Serve warm or at room temperature. If making the tart ahead of time it should be refrigerated and then allowed to come to room temperature when ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.