Pear, Sesame and Chocolate Tart

I love baking with fruit, but the fall season has very limited options other than apples. I do enjoy cooking with apples, but I wanted to try something different…pears. I found this Pear, Sesame & Chocolate Tart recipe in “Crumb: A Baking Book” by Ruby Tandoh. I was not so sure what to think about baking with sesame seeds, but they added a very unique flavor to this tart.

Crust

6T + 1 tsp Unsalted Butter, firm, but not too cold - cubed

1 1/3 Cup + 1T All Purpose Flour

Pinch of Salt

1T Sugar

1T + 1 tsp Water

Filling

2/3 Cup Sesame Seeds

7T Unsalted Butter, softened

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 (-) Almond Extract 

Zest of 1 Lemon

Large Pinch of Salt

1 Large Egg

1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

Topping

2 Ripe Firm Pears (Bosc or Anjou)

1.75 oz Dark Chocolate

To prepare the 8” pie pan, line it with parchment paper, so you can easily pull the tart out after baking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Using your hands, rub the unsalted butter cubes into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt and sugar. Add the water and use a knife or edge of a spatula to cut the mixture until it comes together. I had to add more water because the flour mixture was too dry. Once combined, form into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes. Don’t worry if the dough is crumbly. It will firm up a little bit in the fridge.

Next work on the filling. Toast the sesame seeds on a baking sheet. The recipe said for 12-15 minutes, but mine were pretty toasted by 7 minutes. I recommend keeping an eye on them. The sesame seeds will turn a nice golden color and quite fragrant. Let the seeds cool down before using a food processor to grind the seeds into a powder. 

With a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, lemon zest, and salt. Stir in the ground sesame seeds and egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add to the sesame seed mixture and combine until smooth.

After the 30 minutes, remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll out into a circle on a lightly floured surface. Roll until the dough is 1/4” thick. Make sure it is wide enough for your pie dish. Transfer to the pie pan using the rolling pin. Using your fingers, press the dough down and up the sides. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes or fridge for 30 minutes.

Now prepare the pears by peeling, coring and slicing them into wedges about 3/8” thick. When the crust is ready, spoon the sesame seed filling into the pastry shell. Then arrange the pears in a circular pattern on top. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until firm to the touch in the middle of the tart. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Once the tart is completely cooled, melt the chocolate. I used whatever chocolate morsels I had in the pantry. I tried semi-sweet chocolate first, but I ended up burning the chocolate. I  ended up with milk chocolate in the end. Based on trial and error, do not use the microwave to melt chocolate. A bowl on top of simmering water is much more successful. Make sure to not have the water touch the bottom of the bowl and do not keep the chocolate on the stove for too long. If overheated, the chocolate will thicken and will not turn back into a drizzle. Thankfully I was able to slowly melt the chocolate (the third try) and use it to drizzle on top of the pear tart. 

The sesame seeds provide a great substitution for the usual almond paste. The crust resembles a shortbread cookie, which I could eat all by itself. If you are looking for something different than apple pie for Thanksgiving, then I recommend bringing this pear tart!