Gingery Pear Tart (Vegan + GF)
Subtly spiced and perfectly sweet pear tart! A stunning, easy dessert perfect for fall and the holiday table. Vegan, gluten-free, and just 10 ingredients required!
Servings 8 (Slices)
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
- 3 medium pears (ripe but still slightly firm)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 ½ 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
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 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 uniformly lengthwise in very thin slices (1/16”-1/8”). Try to keep each quarter's slices gathered together so when you finish slicing 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 tart 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, just 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 keep covered at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Not freezer friendly.
Video
Notes
*We tested replacing the three flours in this recipe with our GF blend and it creates a stable crust, but we preferred sorghum, brown rice, and tapioca starch because they created a more flaky result.
*The closest sub for sorghum flour would be oat flour, but we haven’t tested it in this recipe.
*We find ground chia is a little more absorbent and better at binding than ground flax, but flaxseed meal might work in place of ground chia seeds in this recipe. Let us know in the comments if you try it!
*Coconut sugar works okay in place of brown sugar, but it’s less caramelly and slightly sour.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Loosely adapted from Epicurious.
*The closest sub for sorghum flour would be oat flour, but we haven’t tested it in this recipe.
*We find ground chia is a little more absorbent and better at binding than ground flax, but flaxseed meal might work in place of ground chia seeds in this recipe. Let us know in the comments if you try it!
*Coconut sugar works okay in place of brown sugar, but it’s less caramelly and slightly sour.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Loosely adapted from Epicurious.
Nutrition (1 of 8 servings)
Serving: 1 slice Calories: 332 Carbohydrates: 45.9 g Protein: 2.5 g Fat: 16.2 g Saturated Fat: 12.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 166 mg Potassium: 185 mg Fiber: 4 g Sugar: 15.8 g Vitamin A: 18 IU Vitamin C: 5.2 mg Calcium: 24 mg Iron: 1.2 mg