TWD: French Pear Tart

My birthday was yesterday and I had secretly hoped that, by coincidence, the first Tuesdays With Dorie recipe of 2009 would be the Perfect Party Cake. That would have been a lovely birthday dessert.* Instead this week’s recipe involved pears, which are not my favorite fruit. But Dorie herself picked the recipe this week in celebration of TWD’s one-year anniversary, so I decided I must try it. Actually, I vacillated a few times before finally deciding to quarter the recipe and make a tartlet.

Despite what the name of my blog may indicate, I am not so fond of math, so it took a few minutes to figure out the proportions for the tartlet. I guess I got them right, because it turned out delicious! I used a combination of almond extract and rum for the filling, so you could really taste more almond than pear. I did like having some fresh fruit involved in the dessert, though. I would have to say my first foray into mini-desserts was quite a success. I would give this recipe an 8 for D and a 4 for E, giving it an EDR of 2. I may even make a whole tart with the inevitable barrage of pears destined to arrive on my doorstep.

Many thanks to Dorie Greenspan for helping us kick off the second year of Tuesdays With Dorie in style. You may find the recipe for French Pear Tart on Dorie's site, and be sure to check the Tuesdays With Dorie site to see everyone else’s take on pear tart and to read Dorie’s answers to the TWD bakers’ OSI questions.

*My birthday dessert ended up being a fabulous blood orange sherbet with champagne at the Chez Panisse Cafe. What a perfect ending to a great birthday!