Anjou Pear Vanilla Bean Custard Tart with Allspice Crust

Have you ever been to a party just relaxing enjoying yourself, talking to the other guests and then a food buzz starts?  This time the buzz came from the dessert table, from this tart.

I had a lovely invitation this past weekend for  a Yom Kippur break in the fast get together.  Of course I was looking for something special to make. After spying  these beautiful Anjou pears in the market I  knew just what to do with them. There was no question they would  accompany me to the party wrapped in deliciousness.

After briefly playing with the idea of making a gingerbread crust, I decided it’s a bit early in the season for that so I went with allspice flavor. Perfect.

I didn’t want the filling flavor to overwhelm these delicious pears. A strong flavor crust was already holding the whole thing together so vanilla bean custard seemed like the right choice.

Keeping the pears fresh on top was a bit of a challenge I didn’t want their beautiful while flesh turning brown before the party, so I glazed the top, hoping to keep it all together until it was eaten. 

 

Let’s face it most of the people at the mparty had been fasting all day, so maybe an old show covered in pears could have hit the spot. However,  one woman said to me something like, “I am a tough critic and I have to say this is absolutely delicious.” High praise for my humble rustic tart. Especially because there were desserts present from iconic NYC establishments.

The tart rumors flew and when I sauntered over to have a taste,  there was almost none left.  This tart is not too sweet. Leaving the pears plain, instead of coating them in brown sugar and butter (my first impulse) was a good idea. The crust also contains minimal sugar so the custard, the fresh fruit, the bite of spice from the crust all work together beautifully.

You know that rule that says you should never  make a new recipe for a dinner party? Admittedly, that thought was running around my brain while I was making this. Thankfully it worked out for everyone. I also also brought along French macarons with a lovely filling flavor. I’ll be posting those later this month.

I threw this together using a mishmash of other recipes.

For the Allspice Crust:

I used this recipe from Epicurious and replaced all spices with two tablespoons of allspice.

For the Vanilla Bean Custard Filling:

I used this recipe from Betty Crocker

To Assemble:

Spread the custard in the baked tart crust. Sliced about 5 anjou pears for the topping and, if desired,  glaze the tart using this recipe.