Salted Honey Pear Crostata

This Salted Honey Pear Crostata has ALL THE GOOD THINGS!

The pears in this crostata are perfectly sweet and retain their structure (ie don’t get mushy) but are still tender to the fork.

They are bathed in the salted honey caramel bringing in bits of caramel, honey and toffee flavors to the mix.

This crust is hella flakey, easy to throw together and the sparkling sugar dusted over the top makes this dessert shine like a jewel. I’m in love with it, can you tell?

Pears for Your Pear Crostata

Pear season runs from June until November and I was able to get my hands on some beautiful Bosc pears.

I thought their rich color would look gorgeous set against a flakey crust and lacquered up with the salted honey caramel. They did not disappoint.

You can use any pear you can get your hands on, so don’t despair if you can’t find Bosc.

For this recipe, instead of adding weight or cup measurements to the pears in the ingredients lists, I just tell you to use about 7-8 pears to fill up your crostata.

You’re going to hold the pear stem side up on a cutting board and cut down the length of either side. Then you’re going to thinly slice the pears lengthwise keeping them intact and placing them over your chilled, rolled-out tart dough.

I use Bosc pears (as mentioned above) because I love their bronzed color, but any California pear will do. When picking pears you want them to be firm, not mushy or bruised.

All About Salted Honey Caramel

So yes, salted honey caramel…

Why has it taken us so long in this blog journey to make this magic? Think of a classic caramel and sub in honey (California honey, of course ;)) for some of the sweetness.

It comes together quickly and makes the most luscious caramel with floral honey notes lingering in the background.

Oh and I added some fresh ginger in here for a bit of spice.

So. Freaking. Good.

All About Crostatas

Now here’s my pitch as to why crostatas should be on heavy rotation in your house…

These freeform parcels embrace imperfections, celebrate spills and reject perfection. In other words, they just might be the perfect dessert.

I thought about making this crostata one more time so that in the photos the crust would be perfect with nary any spillage in site. But then I thought, why?

That would be antithetical to all that is good and joyous in crostatas. So make your crostata perfectly imperfect and know that it will be absolutely beautiful because of it’s lack of uniformity. This feels like a metaphor for life… Are you with me? Think about it…

Shop This Salted Honey Pear Crostata Recipe

You’ll also need an awesome, sturdy baking sheet.’

My trusty scale for precision.

Light-colored saucepan

Liquid measuring cup set 

Heat-resistant spatula or wooden spoon and a whisk for making the caramel

For more fun shopping, check out my Shop (aka my favorite things!).

About This Crostata Dough

This is my OG favorite dough recipe.

The alcohol evaporates during the cooking process, so no worries about that. But that extra boozy moisture makes the dough easier to work with.

I also like to use a butter + vegetable shortening combo because I love the butter for the flavor and the shortening for the flakiness. If you haven’t tried this combo before I think you’ll love it.

Here are some tips to make dough easier
to deal with + yield greater success…

Have all of your crostata crust ingredients cold…

I’m talking ice cold! This will help keep the butter in chunks which will give you those nice flakey layers. Before you get started with the recipe, measure out the water + vodka and place in the freezer until you’re ready to use.

Additionally, cube your butter, place it on a plate and put it in the freezer as well to keep things nice and cool prior to use.

Take note of the ambient humidity…

Dough is very sensitive to ambient humidity.

If it’s really humid in your home you might want to use less water. If it’s dry, you might need a little more.

That said, always error on the side of caution when adding water to dough. Water will activate the gluten…we need some gluten to keep things together, too much gluten development and things get tough.

It’s a bit of a dance, but you’ve got this.

Don’t stress about imperfections…

Don’t stress and fret over cracks in your dough either when you’re forming your disc to stash in the fridge or when you’re rolling it out.

After forming it into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then press down to make any visible cracks disappear. When rolling it out, simply press the dough back together. Easy enough.

I like to use the freezer (or fridge if your freezer is too small) to help keep my dough in the best shape possible pre-bake.

After I roll it out, I put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill that butter down again. Once I’ve formed + filled the crostata I stash it back in the fridge for another 10 minutes to help it keep its shape whilst baking. 

How to Handle Crostata Dough

Sometimes handling dough can be the trickiest part of the whole process.

One of my favorite methods is to place a silpat on my counter, cover it with lightly floured parchment and then roll out my dough on top of that, that way it is easy to transfer the dough on top of the parchment paper onto the baking sheet.

If you don’t have a silpat, you can roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface and then roll the dough around your floured rolling pin and use that to help you transfer it onto the prepared baking sheet.

The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour

One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!

More Cozy Desserts

Check out: Easy Apple Cake, Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fluffy Banana Oat Cake and these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles.

Enjoy your Salted Honey Pear Crostata!

Salted Honey Pear Crostata

Perfectly imperfect crostata stuffed with fresh California Bosc pears (but any pear will do!) and bathed in Salted Honey Caramel. Heaven.

5 from 5 reviews

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Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Crostata

Keyword: Crostata, Galette, Pear, Salted Honey, Dessert

Servings: 6 -8 Servings

Author: Rebecca Firth

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 2 3/4 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour  (how to measure flour)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 20 tablespoons (1 ¼ cup/283 g) unsalted unsalted butter, (chilled and cubed)
• ¼ cup (57 g) all-vegetable shortening, (chilled)
• 1/3 cup (80 g) water, (chilled)
• ¼ cup (60 g) vodka, (chilled)

For the Salted Honey Caramel

• 4 tablespoons (¼ cup/57 g) unsalted butter
• ½ cup (105 g) light brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup (60 ml) all-natural honey
• ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger (finely minced)
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

To Assemble

• 7-8 ripe whole pears
• 1 large egg yolk 
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or whole milk
• Sparkling sugar (Demerara sugar or granulated sugar to sprinkle over the crust prior to baking)

Instructions

For the Dough

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Sprinkle the butter over the top, toss to coat and then using a pastry blender or your hands to blend the butter into the flour mixture. Work quickly so as not to melt the butter. Work the butter until it is roughly the size of peas (some pieces bigger, some pieces smaller, but about that size). Drizzle with the chilled vodka-water mixture and give it 5-6 stirs with a spatula to mix the moisture throughout. Press the spatula into the flour and it should start to adhere and form a mass.
• Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and pour the crumbly dough over the top. Using your hands, quickly press and shape into a rectangle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap tightly. If there are any cracks gently press down until they disappear. Set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

For the Salted Honey Crostata

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the butter. Once melted, turn the heat up just a touch stirring and watching. Look for the formation of little brown bits on the bottom of the pan and a nutty, delicious smell…this should take about 2-3 minutes. We don’t have a lot of butter in here, so it won’t take long. Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the brown sugar, honey and heavy whipping cream. Put back over medium heat and gently stir for 2 minutes more. Take off of the heat again and stir in the ginger, vanilla and sea salt. Set aside to cool a bit. *The sugar may not completely dissolved in the pan. This is fine as it will finish melting in the oven as it commingles with the pears and life will be grand.
• Preheat your oven to 400F (204C) and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and heavy whipping cream, set aside.
• Take the dough out of the fridge and on a floured surface use a floured rolling pin to roll into a rectangle (doesn't have to be perfect) between 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick (I prefer slightly thicker to thinner crust). If any cracks form, press the dough together to seal. Gently transfer the rolled dough to the parchment covered baking sheet and place in the freezer or fridge to keep cool while you prepare your pears.

To Assemble

• To cut the pears, hold them stem side up on a cutting board and cut down one side of the pear, getting as close to the core as possible (without cutting into it). Repeat on the opposing side. Then thinly slice the pear halves cutting them lengthwise. Take the dough out of the freezer or fridge and place the pears cut-side down on top of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2- to 2-inch boarder. You can split up the pear halves to fill up empty spaces if need be. Drizzle the salted honey caramel evenly over the top of the pears. If the dough has warmed up, set it in the freezer or fridge for 10 minutes to chill it back up. If not, move onto the next step.
• Brush the egg yolk-whipping cream mixture over the top of the crust, taking care that it doesn't pool along the edges of the crostata. Sprinkle the crust with the sparkling sugar, Demerara sugar or granulated sugar. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes or until the edges are bronzed. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes so the juices and crust can set. Serve warm or at room temperature. I wouldn't be sad about some vanilla bean ice cream on top of this. Enjoy!!

Notes

SPARKLING SUGAR

Sparkling sugar is like sprinkles for pie dough — they add sparkle and jazz hands and mega personality wherever you throw them.

If you don’t have any sparkling sugar, you can use Demerara sugar or good old-fashioned granulated sugar. 

BAKING SHEET

Make sure your baking sheet is rimmed and lined prior to putting your crostata on it. Lining it with a silpat or parchment paper will make clean-up easier in the event of spillage (and the rimmed sheet will contain any of the said spillage).

It will also makes it easier to transfer your crostata about.

SHAPING

I made one large rectangle crostata, but you could just as easily make it a rustic large circle or even several smaller crostatas (circles, squares, I dunno, you decide). Get crafty.

MAKE AHEAD

The dough and the salted honey caramel can be made up to several days in advance.

Make sure both are stored airtight (to keep both fresh and to keep the dough from drying out); bring the salted honey caramel to room temperature before using (you may even need to give it a quick blast in the microwave (I’m talking nothing more than 15-30 seconds) to make it easier to drizzle over the tart); the dough may need to come closer to room temperature so that it’s easier to roll out.

I also find gently pounding it with a rolling pin makes it easier to roll out (and get out some aggression).

Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo

This post + pear crostata recipe was created in collaboration with California Grown!! A big THANK YOU to them + you for supporting the brands I work with! When shopping, look for the California Grown license plate logo to know that you’re getting the goods from our awesome state!!