Torta Contadina alle Pere (Italian rustic pear tart)

A few months ago I posted a recipe about making a simple apple tart and I have had many reactions from friends who baked it: they were all excited. So when my friend Ellen sent me an email with a recipe about an (also) simple pear tart, I decided to bake it in my Aga. This recipe is also originally from Italy, published by Katie Caldesi (www.caldesi.com) in her book Mangiare!
The original recipe mentiones chocolate drops and pine nuts, which I left out, and I reduced the amount of milk, because I think the dough gets to wet otherwise. And I am using cold butter instead of butter at room temperature, because it makes a better dough. At last: I think that also sweet bakings need salt, which is not mentioned in the original recipe. The baking powder gives the baking a little salty taste, but I used also salted butter (as I always do).

Ingredients:
- 200 g flour
- 15 g baking powder
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 50 g milk
- 2 pears, peeled and cut in thin slices
- 100 g cold salted butter
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped out
- lemon zest (of a whole lemon)
- 80 g raisins

Ingredients

Ready for baking

Method:
For the amounts of ingredients mentioned above I use a round baking pan which measures 24 cms. Grease the side by using some melted butter and dust it with flour. Cover the bottom with baking paper.
Now mix the flour, the sugar, lemon zest, the scraped out vanilla and the baking powder, using a whisk. Add the beaten eggs and the milk and work it in using a rubber spatula. When the dough is becoming smooth, mix the raisins in. Now you can add the cold butter, sliced in small cubes. Just gently work them in using your spatula.
Poor the mixture in the prepared baking pan and push the sliced pears into it (arrange them nicely). Bake the tart for 35 to 40 minutes on a rack placed high in the baking oven.

NB: Aga-cooking is a kind of slow cooking. If you are using a 'normal' oven, 25 to 30 minutes on 180º C. will probably do.

Klik hier om dit recept in het Nederlands te lezen.