Pear and Chocolate Tart

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Pear and Chocolate Tart
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it es br de fr
611
Calories per serving
  • Vegetarian
  • Energy Kcal 611
  • Carbohydrates g 83.4
  •   of which sugars g 48.7
  • Protein g 9.3
  • Fats g 26.37
  •   of which saturated fat g 14.55
  • Fiber g 4.4
  • Cholesterol mg 206
  • Sodium mg 359
  • Difficulty: Average
  • Prep time: 60 min
  • Cook time: 60 min
  • Serving: 8
  • Cost: Average
  • Note + 30 minutes of resting time for the pastry

PRESENTATION

Pear and chocolate crostata is a really comforting dessert that brings those warm vibes—straight from an Italian kitchen—right to your table. You know, in Central Italy, they have this special knack for pairing sweet Williams pears with rich chocolate. Seriously good. The pastry, known as frolla al cacao, becomes tender and fragrant in the oven, filling your home with amazing aromas. Here's the deal: the chocolate pastry cream beneath the pears is super smooth, with just enough chocolate to complement, not overpower, the fruit. Arranging the pears on top isn't just for show. As they bake, the slices turn a little golden and are almost too pretty to eat. Each bite? Soft and delicious. It's like something you'd find on a Sunday table, probably made by a nonna who keeps it simple yet incredibly tasty.

In places like Umbria and Tuscany, families really love making this kind of pear chocolate tart for gatherings or festive occasions. So many traditional Italian dessert recipes feature pears and chocolate, but this pear and chocolate dessert stands out as both rustic and kinda elegant. Some might call it a rustic pear and chocolate galette, but the crostata has its own flair with that crisp, cocoa-rich crust. Pretty simple. There are plenty of regional variations, for sure—sometimes a splash of grappa is added to the dough, or a sprinkle of ground nuts enhances the flavor. The beauty of this dish lies in its forgiving nature. You can get creative with how you arrange the pears, and even if it looks a bit homemade, nobody will mind. Thing is, what really counts is the combination of crispy crust, moist chocolate filling, and tender pears. It's the kind of dessert that brings everyone together, whether you're celebrating or just craving something sweet after dinner. When it comes to fruit and chocolate pastries, this crostata definitely holds a special place in any Italian family's list of favorites.

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INGREDIENTS

611
Calories per serving
Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry (for a 10-inch mold)
Type 00 flour 2 ½ cups (300 g)
Butter 11 tbsp (150 g) - (cold)
Powdered sugar 1.1 cups (130 g)
Eggs 3.75 oz (105 g) - (approximately 2 medium)
Unsweetened cocoa powder 0.375 cup (30 g)
Fine salt 1 pinch
for the chocolate custard
Whole milk 2.1 cups (500 g)
Orange peel 1
Egg yolks 4.67 tbsp (66 g) - (about 4 from medium eggs)
Sugar ½ cup (100 g)
Cornstarch 5 ½ tbsp (45 g)
Fine salt 1 pinch
Dark chocolate 5 oz (140 g)
For garnish
Bartlett pears 1.5 lbs (700 g)
Brown sugar 1 tsp
Preparation

How to prepare Pear and Chocolate Tart

To prepare the pear and chocolate tart, start with the cocoa shortcrust pastry. In a mixer, add the flour, powdered sugar 1, and cocoa powder 2. Then add the cold butter cut into pieces, and a pinch of salt 3.

Finally, add the eggs 4. Pulse the mixer as needed (to avoid overheating the blades) until you get a homogeneous dough 5. Transfer the dough onto a work surface, briefly compact it by hand, just enough to form a dough ball 6.

Wrap with plastic wrap 7 and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the chocolate custard: chop the dark chocolate 8. In a saucepan, heat the milk with orange zest (only the orange part) 9.

While the milk is heating, you can pour the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl 10: mix with a whisk. Add a pinch of salt, also add cornstarch 11, and mix again until smooth. Pour the hot milk into the bowl with the eggs, filtering with a sieve that will hold back the orange zest 12.

Stir, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan 13, put it back on moderate heat, and bring the custard to a boil, stirring continuously until it thickens 14. When the custard has thickened, turn off the heat and incorporate the dark chocolate 15.

Let the chocolate melt in the custard while stirring 16. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface 17, and set aside to cool to room temperature. When the custard has cooled, retrieve the shortcrust pastry, dust the dough and work surface with a small amount of flour, and roll it out with a rolling pin 18.

You should get a disk about 0.2 inches thick 19. Wrap the rolled-out pastry around the rolling pin and unroll it onto a 10-inch fluted tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Cut off the excess pastry by rolling the pin over the edge 20. You will have about 4.6 oz left. Poke the base with the prongs of a fork 21.

Pour the custard and smooth it out with a spatula 22. At this point, wash the pears and without peeling them, cut them in half. Remove the core and slice them fairly thinly 23. Lay the slices on the tart’s surface, starting from the edge and creating concentric circles 34.

Create a floral pattern 25, sprinkle with brown sugar 26, and bake in a preheated static oven at 340°F for 50 minutes. Once cooked, let the tart cool completely. Unmold and serve your pear and chocolate tart 27.

Storage

The pear and chocolate tart can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, covered.

The shortcrust pastry dough can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for about 1 month.

The custard can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days, covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

 

Advice

You can freeze or refrigerate the excess shortcrust pastry. Or you can make delicious cookies!

You can flavor the chocolate custard with a vanilla pod, lemon zest, or cardamom.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.
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