The Tarte Bourdaloue is one of the few typically Parisian desserts that has a rustic, country feel to it. It’s simple to make at home, but it was born in the heart of Paris, on Bourdaloue Street to be exact, where pastry chef Fasquelle made it for the first time in the mid-nineteenth century.
The crisp pâte sablée is filled with tender poached pears and a flavorful almond cream filling, made from crème pâtissière and frangipane. For a quick version, or when pears are not in season, you can use canned pears in syrup; although I personally like to make my own poached pears, to bring out distinct spice notes.
SERVES 8 / MAKES 1 TART
For the Poached Pears
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
3 star anise
4 medium, round pears (see note)
For the Pâte Sablée
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (75 g) powdered sugar
¼ cup (25 g) ground almonds
1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
For the Crème Pâtissière
2 large egg yolks
3¼ tbsp (40 g) sugar
2 tbsp (15 g) cornstarch
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (140 ml) milk (whole or 2%)
3½ tbsp (50 ml) heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Frangipane
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
1⅔ cups (158 g) ground almonds
2 large eggs
1 tbsp (15 ml) dark rum
2 tsp (9 ml) almond extract
2 tbsp (16 g) powdered sugar, for garnish
A handful of sliced almonds, for garnish
To make the poached pears, bring 4 cups (1 L) of water to a boil with the sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves and star anise. Peel the pears, remove the stems, cut them in half and core them. Poach the pears for 15 minutes in the simmering syrup. Drain and set aside to cool.
To make the pâte sablée, combine the powdered sugar, ground almonds, all-purpose flour and salt. Add in the butter and egg, and mix with your hands to form a smooth ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
To make the crème pâtissière, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, heavy cream and vanilla extract to a simmer. Slowly pour in the egg yolk–mixture. Whisk continuously for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid thickens to a glistening cream. Remove from the heat, and let cool.
To make the frangipane, combine the butter, powdered sugar, ground almonds and eggs. Add in the dark rum and almond extract. Mix the frangipane with the cooled crème pâtissière.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4), with a rack in the middle.
Take the pâte sablée out of the fridge, place it between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a 12-inch (31-cm) circle. Unpeel the top sheet of parchment paper, transfer the crust to a 9-inch (23-cm) pie dish and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Spread the filling evenly over the crust. Top with the poached and halved pears, with the outside of the pear facing up.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crust is brown and the filling is golden. Transfer onto a rack, and cool for at least 2 hours before enjoying.
For serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar and sliced almonds.
NOTE: Choose perfectly ripe pears for poaching: they won’t poach well if underripe, and they will turn mushy if overripe. I like Bosc pears that hold a great shape and sweetness after being poached and baked, but the Anjou and Bartlett varieties work well too.