Bosc Pear and Roasted Hazelnut Tart

For crust: Combine the hazelnuts, flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the sour cream and water, and process for a few seconds, just until a ball of dough begins to form. Do not overprocess. (To make the dough by hand, place the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and use a pastry blender to cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture. Add the sour cream and ice water, and mix just until it comes together and forms a mass.) Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, gathering all the loose bits, and form into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Have ready a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Dust the work surface and dough with a little more flour, as necessary, to keep the dough from sticking. Roll the dough around the rolling pin, lift it over the tart pan, and unroll the dough over the pan. Adjust to center the dough, then press it into place. Trim the overhang to half an inch and fold in to reinforce the side. Freeze the tart shell for 20 minutes. (The tart shell can be made up to this point and frozen for up to 1 month.)

Line the tart shell with foil and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake just until the side of the pastry begins to color, about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and foil, and bake until the base of the shell is golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.

For filling: Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, stopping the machine once or twice to scrape down the sides of the work bowl. Add the egg yolk, egg, and heavy cream, and process to blend thoroughly. Scatter the ground nuts and flour over the butter mixture, and process just until blended. Refrigerate while preparing the pears. Halve and core them and cut vertically into ⅛-inch slices.

To assemble: Spread the cream filling evenly over the bottom of the prepared tart shell. Arrange the pears over the filling in overlapping concentric circles, starting from the outside edge and working toward the center. Brush the pears with the pear brandy. Sprinkle the 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar over the top.

Bake the tart in the center of the oven until the pastry is brown and the pears begin to caramelize, about 45 minutes. Let cool on a rack. When ready to serve, center one hand under the bottom of the tart pan and slip off the rim with the other hand. Set the tart on a round serving plate and cut into wedges.

Cook’s Note

Prepare the ground hazelnuts for both the tart shell and filling at the same time. Spread 1 cup of hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them in a preheated 350 degree oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Rub the nuts together in a terry kitchen towel to remove the skins. Place them in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until finely ground. Measure and set aside ¼ cup for the tart shell, and ½ cup for the filling.

This recipe is from The Thanksgiving Table: Recipes and Ideas to Create Your Own Holiday Tradition by Diane Morgan. Provided courtesy of Diane Morgan and reproduced with permission by Pear Bureau Northwest.