Last weekend we had a lovely visit with the family from out of town, they were only here for one day, had different places to visit, and were coming to our house on a Sunday afternoon after lunch. I thought it was the perfect occasion to make some exquisite desserts. Coincidentally I had fresh Seckel pears that we got a week before at one of our favorite local orchards, Door Creek Orchard.
It was a pretty busy weekend, and the idea of only having to make dessert was perfect and the fact this custard is as easy as measuring ingredients and blending, couldn’t make it any easier. Of course, I can never settle for “too easy” so I made a second tart with concord grapes. They were both amazingly good.
I love making desserts even though I am not a sugar lover. I am always trying to make desserts that aren’t overly sweet. If you are like me, then you would love this custard. The Seckel Pears I used here are already sweet, and so the custard itself doesn’t need much sugar. I like the texture of the almond flour in this recipe. I could’ve sliced the pears in half, but I love the look of the whole cooked pear, besides they were tiny. I made this recipe in a 14″ x 5″ tart pan, although another idea for this custard is to make it in ramekins instead, for which this recipe would make 4 x 6oz. ramekins.
Ingredients:
Seckel pears, washed (also known as sugar pears or butter pears) – as many as you would need to fill your tart pan
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Cooking oil spray – for the pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F
In a blender add all the ingredients in the same order listed above. Blend on high until smooth, make sure there are no lumps. Prepare your tart pan, spray lightly with cooking oil. Pour the custard mixture. Place the pears in the custard, there is no need to peel them, arrange in the decorative way you prefer. Place your tart pan in a larger sheet pan to avoid any spilling. Bake 60 minutes. The custard will rise in the oven although it will get deflated the longer it sits after baked. The pears will release their juices as they bake and it will caramelize on top. You can serve this custard warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Cook’s Note: I used a rectangular tart pan, you could also use a round 8″ tart pan.
