I set out to make a pear torte to take with me to my book group. I’ve never baked with puff pastry so I was a little hesitant to try, but I love the taste and look of a torte so I started looking for recipes. I went to the puff pastry website and found several recipes as well as a couple of good videos. I decided to give it a try and combined a couple of ideas to come up with this torte. I used a variety of pears; Bosc, Anjou and Bartlett. I think whatever is ripe is fine. Follow my picture/recipe and add your own combinations to make a wonderful autumn torte. It’s really fairly simple. I’ve added a few notes at the end.
I peeled, cut and cored three pears.
I sliced them thin so that there would be plenty of evenly sliced sections for piling in the torte.
I unrolled the puff pastry onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I used a rolling pin to roll it thin and almost to the edges.
I brushed warm butter on the pastry
I made a mixture of 2 tablespoons of caramel, 2-3 tablespoons of ground almonds, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. In a separate bowl crack an egg, then give it a mix. Add about a tablespoon the the almond mix and stir it all together to form a sticky paste. You can use a food processor for this part, especially if you are using whole almonds and need to grind them. Warm the mixture in the microwave until soft and spreadable. Use a pastry brush to spread over the pastry. Save some for topping.
Lay out pear slices, overlapping slightly. Leave 2 inches of pastry around the edges. Add about 1/4-1/3 cup slivered toasted almonds. Drizzle with a bit more sauce.
Pull up edges using parchment to help crimp into a rough bowl shape. Chill for several hours or overnight. Before baking pull parchment away from pastry. Use the rest of the egg and add a bit of water to make a wash. Brush wash over the outer edges of pastry. Sprinkle with a shake or two of cinnamon if desired. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack
It was delicious and had the beautiful rustic look I wanted. There was plenty for 6-8 people.
Notes
- Prepare your pears before taking the pastry out of the fridge. Warm or room temperature pastry is difficult to work with. As with most pastry it works best chilled before baking.
- Add cranberries for a festive look.
- Use a mix of apples and pears, or just apples.
- Try piling the fruit to create a full heaped torte.
- This is not the most portable dessert. I suggest making it for dinner at your own home. I ended up with caramel on the seat of my car, my camera and my hands. Plan ahead!
- Watch the video on the listed website. It’s very helpful
Enjoy!
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