Chapter 11 — Pear Bourdaloue Tart

Poached Pear Tart with Bourdaloue Almond Cream Cream

Pear Bourdaloue is a classic French-style tart combining a sweet pastry shell, almond cream, and poached pears.

For my version, I make the Bourdaloue cream with almond powder, butter, pastry cream, and whipped cream. The pastry cream gives the almond filling a smooth, creamy texture, while the whipped cream lightens it slightly. The filling bakes around the pears and becomes tender but firm enough to hold a clean slice.

Bourdaloue Cream

• 130g almond powder

• 100g icing sugar

• 20g cornstarch

• 150g unsalted butter, softened

• 1 whole egg

• 2 egg yolks

• 160g prepared pastry cream

• 100ml whipped cream

Before You Start

Have the pastry cream prepared and chilled before making the Bourdaloue cream or Bichoux-Style

The butter should be soft enough to mix easily by hand but not melted.

Whip the cream separately and keep it cold until you are ready to fold it into the almond mixture.

For assembly, prepare:

• One 8-inch sweet tart shell

• Poached pear halves, well drained

Method

Combine the almond powder, icing sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl.

Add the softened butter and mix by hand until smooth and evenly combined.

Add the whole egg and egg yolks and mix until incorporated.

Add the 160g pastry cream and mix until the cream is smooth.

Whip the 100ml cream separately, then gently fold it into the Bourdaloue cream.

Assemble the Tart

Spread the Bourdaloue cream into the 8-inch sweet dough tart shell, filling it approximately halfway. Don't overfill—the cream will expand somewhat during baking, and apparently even almond cream requires boundaries.

Slice the poached pear halves while keeping the slices together in their original pear shape.

Arrange 4 pear halves around the tart. Place an additional ½ pear half between them, according to your preferred design.

Gently fan the slices for an elegant presentation.

Bake

Spread the prepared cream about halfway up the sweet tart shell. Arrange the sliced poached pear halves decoratively over the cream.

Bake at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes, or until the almond cream is set and lightly golden.

Your Professional Doneness Test

Gently touch the center of the tart. The filling should feel firm and set under your fingertip. If the center still feels very soft, continue baking for a few more minutes.Bake at 325–350°F (165–175°C) for approximately 30 minutes.

Rather than relying only on time, use your touch test:

Gently touch the center of the tart. When the Bourdaloue cream feels firm and set rather than soft underneath your finger, the tart is baked.

The filling should also have some light golden color around the exposed almond cream.

What to Look For

The pears should remain moist and tender while the surrounding Bourdaloue cream becomes set and lightly golden. After cooling, the filling should hold the pears securely and give you a clean slice without being dry.

Confidence Note

Drain the poached pears well before arranging them on the tart. Too much poaching liquid can introduce unnecessary moisture into the almond filling.

Also, I would keep your 325–350°F range rather than arbitrarily turning it into one exact temperature. It sounds like this is a recipe you've made professionally and judged by touch. If you remember whether you normally started closer to 325°F or 350°F, we can eventually make that the primary temperature and leave the other as an adjustment.