Gingery Pear Tart

Beautiful, sophisticated, and subtly spicy…is that you or this recipe?! It’s definitely both. This gingery pear tart is the show-stopping fall dessert you’ve been waiting for, and it’s way easier than it looks!

Just ten ingredients are required for this elegant vegan and gluten-free masterpiece! It’s a unique treat perfect for your holiday table, and it wouldn’t say no to a scoop of ice cream. Let’s bake, friends!

This STUNNER begins with the crust. You’ll cut vegan butter into a blend of gluten-free flour and ground chia seeds. The sorghum flour provides a sweet and neutral taste, brown rice flour adds structure, tapioca flour keeps it light, and ground chia seeds offer binding.

Then, we add a little water, turning it into a moldable dough. It’s ready for a quick chill in the refrigerator to maximize the flakiness of the crust.

While the dough is chilling, we prepare the pears by thinly slicing each quarter and keeping the slices together in groups (to make it pretty! ).

Once the dough has chilled, we roll it out, transfer it to a tart pan, and sprinkle it with brown sugar and ground ginger. This forms the groundwork for a sweet and spicy sauce!

Next, it’s time to unleash your inner artist and start arranging the pears. There’s no set way to put them, but try not to leave any gaps. Once your pear artistry is complete, you’ll drizzle with lemon juice, add the remaining ginger and brown sugar, and top with slices of vegan butter.

The oven will do the rest of the work! While in the range, the pears will become tender, caramelized, and coated in saucy sweetness. And the crust? Flaky, golden brown perfection!

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1 cup sorghum flour*
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
• 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds*
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 10 Tbsp cold vegan butter, cut into cubes (we used Miyoko’s)
• 4-6 Tbsp water

FILLING

• Three medium pears (ripe but still slightly firm)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger powder
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice (1 medium lemon yields ~3 Tbsp or 45 ml)
• 2 Tbsp cold vegan butter, thinly sliced (we used Miyoko’s)

FOR SERVING optional

• Vegan vanilla ice cream
• Coconut whipped cream

Instructions

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, ground chia seeds, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Next, add the cubed vegan butter and break the butter down into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, fork, or clean hands. The texture should look sandy, with no lumps of butter larger than a pea. Add the lesser amount of water and stir. At this point, the dough should hold together when squeezed — if it’s not, add more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment or wax paper and shape it into a flat disk. Place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare your pears by quartering them, removing the cores, and then slicing them uniformly lengthwise in very thin slices (1/16″-1/8″). Try to keep each quarter’s pieces gathered together so when you finish cutting, it still looks like a uniform quarter (see photo). This will be helpful when arranging your pears.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and ginger powder. Set aside.
• After chilling the dough, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Prepare a 9-10 inch tart pan by lightly greasing the pan with vegan butter (or use a non-stick springform pan for ease). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle a clean work surface with sorghum or brown rice flour. Roll out the dough into an even circle (about 12 inches in diameter), working quickly. To transfer your crust, gently roll it up onto your rolling pin and unroll in the tart pan, or quickly (and confidently!) flip it into the pan. Press the dough into the sides of the sour pan and patch any holes or cracks with your fingers. Trim any excess dough with a paring knife.
• To the bottom of the prepared tart shell, add about 2/3 of the brown sugar and ginger mixture, reserving the rest for the top of the tart. Use your hands to disperse the sugar and spice evenly. Next, place each sliced pear quarter on top of the crust, fanning them out so they spread slightly. Repeat with the remaining pear quarters. There is no set way to do this; go with the shape of the pear and try not to leave any gaps. You can definitely overlap them! Drizzle the lemon juice over the pears, sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar and ginger, and top with 2 Tbsp of sliced vegan butter.
• Cover the tart with foil, place on a baking sheet (just in case, to catch any drips), and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 28-35 minutes, until the crust is dark golden brown and the pears are extremely tender when tested with a knife.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 25 minutes before serving to let the juices set up. Carefully remove the tart, slice, and enjoy! Delicious topped with vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream.
• Leftovers are kept covered at room temperature for one day or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It’s not freezer-friendly.