This pear tart is incredibly delicious but you’re probably wondering what classifies it as “medieval”. Well, several years ago I went on a date to a restaurant with a medieval theme. I don’t remember everything they served but I do remember the dessert – some sort of poached pear. It hadn’t been baked very long so the pear was still quite hard and difficult to cut through. I remember trying to be ladylike while using a fork and a knife; however, I just wanted to pick up that pear and eat it with my hands. Isn’t that what they did in medieval times? Each time I tried to cut the pear, it flew off my plate. Not exactly the way to impress a date but it wasn’t my fault – it was the pear. Anyways, the point of my story is that medieval people eat pears therefore I’m calling this a medieval poached pear tart.
Medieval Poached Pear Tart:
This dessert requires a bit of extra effort but the results are well worth it!
- Tart Shell:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly melted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- Poached Pears:
- 8 pears, peeled & sliced into 6 pieces each (canned pears in water - drain the water first - work well too)
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Topping:
- 1½ tablespoons butter, unsalted
- ¼ cup quick cooking oats
- ¼ cup flour, all-purpose
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Tart Shell: Mix flour, butter, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, Stir well to mix. Put dough into a tart shell (greased with non-stick cooking spray) and use your hands to spread the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan and slightly up each side. Place the tart shell into the fridge for 30 minutes. Remove from fridge, prick several times with a fork, then bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until edges are slightly browned.
- Poached Pears: In a large saucepan, bring water, honey, cinnamon and sugar to a boil. Add pears, turn down heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Scoop out pears and place them into a separate bowl with about ⅓ of the liquid from the pot. Discard the remaining liquid. Once the tart shell has cooled slightly (about 10 minutes), add the pears and sauce to the tart shell and spread evenly.
- Topping: Cut cold butter into the oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon mixture until it resembled a course crumble. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spread the crumble mixture evenly over the sheet. Bake at 400F for about 5 minutes until slightly browned. I usually stir it around a bit after each minute. This burns quickly so keep a close eye on it. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the pear tart.
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