Springtime

Happy May everyone! If you’re signed up to our newsletter, you may have read the one we sent out a few days ago. We made the controversial statement that May is probably the second-best month of the year. December is, of course, our number one, because of Christmas, but there is just something about the spring! There’s the blooming of flowers, green grass and trees, blue skies and sunshine, not to mention the delicious fruit and vegetables that are coming into season; it all makes us so incredibly cheerful and optimistic!

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Pear and marzipan tarts with whipped cream.

Spring Desserts

Now, why am I blabbering on about spring? Well, I would say that today’s recipe truly epitomizes the spring sense of simplicity, optimism, and joy. One of the best ingredients in dessert is, in my opinion, fruit, especially if it is cooked! Cooking fruit brings out the natural sweetness in it and gives it a much deeper flavor than eating it raw. It plays a part in some of the best desserts: peach cobbler, apple crisp, banana bread, etc. I would even say that a baked apple with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is an elite dessert. And it is so utterly simple!

Pear and Marzipan

Anyway, all this to say that today’s recipe involves fruit and one of our other favorite ingredients: marzipan! These are beautiful little tarts (or galettes), made with a delicious shortcrust pastry that is folded over a pear and marzipan filling. The end result is a crispy, buttery, sweet, and incredibly tasty dessert. Take our word for it, pear and marzipan are a match made in heaven! The process of making them is simple, and they are a great option if you have extra pastry from a different recipe. You can whip these up super quickly and customize the topping to fit whatever fruit you have. Top with a bit of whipped cream or even ice cream, and enjoy!

Butterdejstærter med Pære og Marcipan (Pear and Marzipan Tarts)

5 from 1 vote

These tarts are flaky, buttery, sweet, and incredibly tasty! Take our word for it, pear and marzipan are a match made in heaven!

Servings servings

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 40

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

PIE DOUGH

170 grams (12 tbsp) cold, cubed, unsalted butter
300 grams (2 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp ice water
1 tbsp sugar

FILLING

200 grams marzipan (can also be store-bought)
28 grams (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of salt
3 large pears, thinly sliced
Lemon juice
Extra sugar (if the pears are not sweet)
Heavy cream for brushing on the tarts

TOPPING

Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

Make your pie dough by combining flour, salt, and sugar in either a mixing bowl or a food processor.
Add your butter either by hand (crumbling the cold butter into the flour until it your butter is broken down into smaller than pea size chunks or it resembles sand) or in the food processor (add your butter and pulse until the mixture resembles sand).
Add ice water (just very cold water) and pulse or combine by hand until the dough starts to stick together. It’s okay if it’s still a little crumbly, but if it’s not coming together at all, add as many tablespoons of ice water until the dough comes together.
Wrap up your dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make marzipan filling by following our recipe or using store-bought marzipan (Note: you will only need 200g marzipan, so you can adjust the recipe to make the exact amount, or have some leftover!) Make sure the marzipan is room temperature. Mix the marzipan with softened butter and a pinch of salt to make a paste.
Prepare the pears by slicing thinly and sprinkling with lemon juice to avoid browning/oxidation. If the pears are tart, you can also add a bit of sugar to help sweeten them.
Preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C).
Take your dough out of the fridge. Split into 4 equal sized pieces.
Roll each piece into a circle around 9 inches in diameter.
Spread one quarter of the marzipan mixture on the dough circle, leaving about 2 inches around the edge.
Arrange the pears in whatever pattern you like over the top of the marzipan.
Fold the edges of the dough up over the bottom of the pears.
Repeat with the remaining three pieces of dough. Arrange the tarts on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Freeze the tarts for around 10 minutes. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle the dough with a little bit of sugar.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes before slicing. Top with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!