I love pears. I love hazelnuts (filberts) and I love lemon. All three are front and center in this free form tart called a croustade. I rolled the dough straight onto the parchment paper and then used the paper to pull the dough up and around. It saved me from having to figure out how to move it from the work surface onto the baking tray.
For the crumbs:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup hazelnuts lightly roasted
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ of a beaten egg. Save the other half to paint the crust
6 Tbsp butter cut into pieces
½ tsp lemon zest
For the crust:
1 ¾ cup flour
¾ cup hazelnuts lightly roasted
1 tsp salt
1 ½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp lemon zest
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup ice cold water
For the filling:
2 ½ pound pears, about 8 (I used Bartlett or Bosc pears)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup sugar
Directions:
In a food processor combine the dry ingredients for the crumbs.
While the processor is going add the butter till it is cut in.
Add the ½ of the beaten egg.
Empty into another bowl and set aside.
To make the crust
Using the same food processor bowl, no need to wash it out (that is why you do the crumbs first), measure all of the dry ingredients including the lemon zest into the bowl.
Combine on low and then add the chunks of butter a few at a time till they are cut into the flour mixture.
Beat the egg yolk with the ice water and drizzle it in with the processor running.
The dough will start to ball up. You may have to scrape the sides down it mix evenly.
With a dough scraper (these are such a huge help!!) scrape the crust dough out onto plastic wrap, wrap it up and chill.
At this point you can preheat the oven to 400F.
Wash the pears.
Slice in quarters, remove the core, then slice thinly into a large bowl.
I leave the skins on if I have organic pears. That is optional and you can peel them if you want to.
Toss the pears in the lemon juice.
Mix the sugar and flour in a small bowl then sprinkle over the pears and toss.
Set aside.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on the baking parchment sprinkled with flour so it does not stick. Then roll it out to about a 12 inch circle. You want it relatively thin along the edges so you will not have too thick a crust.
Pile the pears in the middle of the dough and then with the help of the parchment lift the edges up and overlap as needed over the pears and pinch to hold.
Layer the crumbs over the top.
Brush the dough with the left over half an egg thinned with a teaspoon of water.
Bake at 400 for 10 min and then turn the oven down to 375F and bake until golden brown and a knife inserted tests the pears as soft, about 40 min. Cover with foil if the crumbs start to brown.
Serve warm.
Deb Mosimann
Swiss Woods Inn, Lititz, Pennsylvania