Chocolate Crusted Pear and Hazelnut Tart
An easy press-in cacao dusted shortbread crust, pear and toasted hazelnut filling topped with thinly sliced Bosc pears.
Servings 8 servings
Equipment
- Food processor
- 9-inch removable bottom tart pan
Ingredients
- Chocolate Tart Crust
- 1 3/4 cup All purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Raw cacao or cocoa powder
- 8 tbsp Unsalted cold butter
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Egg white
- 2 tbsp Ice cold water or as needed
- Pear Filling
- 1 cup Hazelnuts lightly toasted and crushed into flour
- 1 Large bosc pear peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 4 oz Mascarpone or cream cheese
- 1 Large egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- Pear Topping
- 3 Large bosc pears unpeeled, long thin quarter-inch slices
- 1 tbsp Coarse sugar
Instructions
- Crust Preparation
- Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees.In a food processor, place the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and blitz until crumbled in texture. Add the flour and salt. Whisk to blend.
- While the machine is running, pour in the egg white, followed by small amounts of ice water until the pastry forms a soft ball.
- On a lightly floured surface, place the dough. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to fit the pan, bottom and sides. Transfer to the removable bottom tart tin and press into place, with the heel of your hand, and pinch the edges around the top. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and set aside.
- Filling Preparation
- In a small saucepan over low heat, lightly toast the hazelnuts. Transfer to the food processor and crush the nuts into a flour. Set Aside.
- In the same saucepan, place 1 tablespoon of butter and melt over medium heat. To the melted butter add 1 peeled and finely chopped pear, along with sugar. Simmer, covered, until the pear is soft and sugar slightly caramelized. Remove from stove top.
- Whisk in the crushed hazelnuts until well blended. Whisk in the mascarpone completely. Whisk in the remaining eggs.Transfer the filling to the prepared chocolate tart shell.
- Pear Topping
- Take care to slice pears thin and keep their curvy shape. Arrange the thinly sliced pear slices across the top of the filling with the wide end of the pear closest to the crust. Sprinkle with a little coarse sugar on the top of the pears.
- Bake until the crust has started to move away from the edges of the pan and the top is firm, about 50-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve.
Video
Notes
Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge to serve the next day, should any tart remain.