I have to admit- I am not the biggest fan of pears. I always seem to buy them either when they're too hard or too soft, or they just have a funky texture! But, cooking them takes care of all of these problems, and the taste is fabulous when mixed with a little cream and butter :)
For the crust, I used a recipe from The Junior League of Lafayette, Louisiana. It called for shortening and white flour, so I tweaked it to make it better- and was it tasty!
For the crust:
1.5 c spelt flour, sifted + enough to work with hands
1/2 c butter or coconut oil, solid but not too hard
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t sea salt
1 egg + milk to make it fill 1/4 cup
Mix flour with fat with a fork or pastry cutter. Then add the rest of the ingredients until dough is soft and will not stick to your hands (I added a little more flour and worked it with my hands).
Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness and place in 6"x9" rectangle pan -OR- 9" pie pan.
Keep the trimming to make top crust.
Filling:
I had about 8 pears, sliced to make disks, about 1/4" thick. (Place pear on its side and slice from top to bottom, discarding any seeds and stem)
Baste the pears with a mixture of 1/2 honey 1/2 water, heated to combine. This may take about 1/2 cup of each. Then, broil the pears on a greased cookie sheet until slightly browned.
Place pears onto crust, then pour over top:
1/2 c cream, mixed with 2 T sugar, 1/2 t salt, and 1/2 t cinnamon
Then, cut up one stick of butter into T pieces and scatter over the filling.
Cover with remaining strips of crust and bake at 400 F for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 60 minutes.
This tarte is best eaten cold and topped with whipped cream or ice cream! Enjoy!
