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Salted Honey Pear Crostata | recipe via DisplacedHousewife Rebecca Firth

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
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Crostata
Keyword: Crostata, Galette, Pear, Salted Honey, Dessert
Servings: 6 -8 Servings

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