pure (pear)fection!

pear is the quintessential fall fruit and in this lovely tart, it is pure perfection! as much as i love pears, however, i find them tricky to deal with... i always buy them firm, wait for them to ripen, and by the time i know it, they are overripe! some people like pears juicy and soft, but i like most of my fruit a little firmer, so to me a really juicy pear is an overripe pear.  but this is not an issue for baking purposes because you can use firm pears and that way they will hold up better in the process and still look pretty after being subjected to some serious heat!  
 

i adapted this recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance.  Isa has some really wonderful recipes for baked goods that are so delicious and rich, they are very easily "sold" to your non-vegan or non-vegetarian friends. the original recipe uses cranberries and crystallised ginger.  i'm not particularly fond of crystallised ginger and didn't have any cranberries... besides, figs are more fall-ish anyways.  but i'll try it with cranberries too...  maybe later in the fall or in winter, when cranberries seem more appropriate.  also, this can be lovely without anything but pears too... so if you don't have any figs or can't find them, don't let that stop you from making this. 

pear fig tart 
1/4 cup of almond meal
1 cup of gluten free flour (i use ..., you can also use spelt, or all purpose flour)
1/4 cup grape seed or canola oi
3 spoons cold almond milk
1/4 t salt

3 ripe (but firm) Bartlet or bosc pears
3 black figs (fresh)
2 T arrowroot or tapioca flour
1/4 brown sugar
1T vanilla 
1T cinnamon
1T water
some fresh rosemary
1/4 cup of slivered almonds

sift the flour, salt and almonds together.  add the oil and milk.  form dough, work it enough to incorporate all ingredients but not too long.  flatten, wrap in foil and refridgerate for 30min. 


in a bowl, toss the pears with the arrowroot or tapioca, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and water.  

toast the silvered almonds until golden brown. 

take out the dough from the fridge. on a clean surface, roll it out taking care not to get it to stick to the surface.  transfer into a tart or pie dish and "line it" with the dough.  another option - and what i usually do - is to skip the rolling step: place the dough in the dish you will use and flatten it out using your oiled fingers.  make sure you go up the sides a little to form a bit of a border/edge.  i find that this is quick and works - and if you are going for a rustic look, it doesn't matter that it is not perfectly even.  arrange the pear slices, pour whatever liquid is remaining in a bowl.  arrange the fig slices and sprinkle the almonds on top. 


bake in a pre-heated oven (375F) for about 45 minutes. 

cool before eating.  enjoy!