Rustic Elegance
This free-form tart celebrates imperfection. The cardamom-spiced pears nestled in flaky pastry prove that sometimes the simplest approach yields the most beautiful results.
Flaky Pastry
- 160g all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 115g very cold butter, cubed
- 45-60ml ice water
Spiced Pear Filling
- 3 ripe but firm pears, cored and sliced
- 50g sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 30g butter, cubed
- Egg wash and demerara sugar for finishing
Method
- Make Pastry: Pulse flour, sugar, salt in processor. Add butter, pulse until pea-sized. Add water tablespoon at a time until dough just holds together.
- Chill: Form into disc, wrap, refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Roll: Roll pastry to 30cm rough circle on floured surface.
- Fill: Toss pears with sugar, cardamom, cornstarch. Arrange on pastry, leaving 5cm border.
- Fold: Fold edges over fruit, pleating naturally. Dot fruit with butter.
- Brush and Sprinkle: Brush crust with egg wash, scatter demerara sugar.
- Bake: Place on lined tray. Bake at 200°C for 40-45 minutes until pastry is golden and fruit bubbling.
