Pi Day Pear Tart

3.1415926535...March 14th has not been the same since the induction of Pi Day. Although it is a mathematical constant, Pi Day is also a great excuse to bake a pie (or tart). Given the limited availability of reasonably priced goods, the Pi Day pie / tart had to be made with limited ingredients to produce the finest result. Also, one of the potential Pi Day pie / tart eaters has an aversion to egg so none could be used in any part of the recipe. Hence, the Pi Day Pear Tart. It is simple, attractive, and incredibly tasty.

The pear-poaching and tart recipes came from David Lebovitz, both by a chance Google search. The tart dough recipe was quite impressive, allowing the baker to feel like a chemist as the hot, liquid mixture of butter, oil, sugar, salt, and water hissed and foamed at the addition of flour. The dough held together extremely well and produced a lovely, firm tart shell. After trying this method out, there is no need for cutting cold butter into flour anymore (this will eventually be mastered for that flaky pie crust). Even on the first try, the tart shell came out perfectly golden and without any cracks.

The resulting pear tart looked very pretty from its design of concentric pear slices and glistening surface. The pears used could have been more ripe and sweet as the ones available were relatively flavorless. Overall, the pear tart was a success being not too sweet and subtly elegant.

Poaching Pears (adapted)
1 quart (1 liter) water
1 cup (200 g) sugar
4 large pears; peeled, cored, and quartered

In a large saucepan, heat the water and sugar until warm and the sugar is dissolved. Add any of the additions that you wish. Slide in the pears and cover saucepan partially. Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the pears. Remove from heat and let the pears cool in their liquid.

(I did not have enough sugar. The original recipe called for about 256g sugar, but only about 200g was used.)

French Tart Dough (adapted)
90 g (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used canola)
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
150 g (5oz, or 1 slightly-rounded cup) flour

Preheat the oven to 410º F (210º C). In a medium-sized ovenproof bowl, such as a Pyrex bowl, combine the butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt. Place the bowl in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges. When done, remove the bowl from oven (and be careful, since the bowl will be extremely hot and the mixture might sputter a bit), dump in the flour and stir it in quickly, until it comes together and forms a ball which pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch (23 cm) tart mold with a removable bottom and spread it a bit with a spatula. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, pat it into the shell with the heel of your and, and use your fingers to press it up the sides of the tart mold. Reserve a small piece of dough, about the size of a raspberry, for patching any cracks. Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork about ten times, then bake the tart shell in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown (10 minutes for a golden, partially cooked tart shell as the crust edges may get too brown in the second baking). Remove from the oven and if there are any sizable cracks, use the bits of reserved dough to fill in and patch them. Let the shell cool before filling.

Pear Tart
1 tart shell
4 large poached pears
Apricot jam or preserves

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Thinly slice pears and arrange whatever decorative design you like in the tart shell. Make sure that the layers of sliced pear overlap. Put in oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. The tart crust should turn a deep golden brown. Remove tart from oven. Bring to a boil apricot jam with two tablespoons of water in a saucepan to create a glaze. Spread glaze over the surface of the tart using a pastry brush.