Cookiecrumb + JYah = Pear Croustade

When Cookiecrumb and Cranky were overcome with pears, they gave us a bunch from which we enjoyed the Froot 'n' Shoot, but also this Pear Croustade made from a recipe we got from cousin J-Yah.

The crust is so buttery that it literally melts in the mouth and the filling had a wonderful, rich pear flavor but I'm thinking just a little more seasoning would have made it even better. The recipe uses allspice and I added the correct amount but I think I'll add more next time and perhaps a bit more lemon juice than the recipe called for.

With a little more addition, we'll have a dessert that's even more than the sum of its parts!

Later: some folks have asked for this recipe so here it is - it's a little sketchy so beware - but this is just the way it was given to me:

Pear Croustade

Crust:

1 cup flour
1-1/2 TBS sugar
1/8 tsp salt
6 TBS chilled butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1-1/2 TBS ice water (or you may need a little more)
1 egg yolk

Filling:

2 firm but ripe pears, peeled, quartered, cored and cut into 1/2" wedges (if small, use 3-4 pears)
3 TBS sugar
1 TBS flour
1TBS fresh lemon juice
1/3 tsp ground allspice
1 large egg white, beaten to blend
1 TBS whipping cream (I omitted this)

Topping:

2 TBS flour
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS chilled butter, cut into 1/2" pieces

CRUST: Mix flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Add butter until coarse crumbs. Transfer to bowl. Mix egg yolk and 1/2 TBS ice water in small bowl. Using fork, blend to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into a disc. Wrap and chill until firm, about one hour. Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured parchment paper to 10-inch round. Transfer dough on paper to baking sheet.

FILLING: Toss pears, sugar, flour, lemon juice and allspice in a large bowl. Overlap pear slices atop dough, leaving 2" border. Fold dough border over fruit, pleating loosely and pinching to seal any cracks (Zoomie Note: in my picture, I misunderstood this instruction and piled all the fruit in the center and folded the crust completely over the top - I think it was supposed to look more like an open tart. It was still delish, however!) Brush dough with egg white. Drizzle cream over filling

Bake tart until crust is golden and filling bubbles, about 40 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack; cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Slide metal spatula under crust to free from parchment. Using large tart pan bottom as an aid, transfer tart to platter. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Zoomie Note: They didn't tell me what to do with the topping part - that's a mystery! Anyone want to guess?).

Enjoy!