Pear Bourdaloue Tart
Poached Pear Tart with Bourdaloue Almond 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.
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
Poach the pear see recipe here:
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.
For assembly
1 8-inch sweet dough (pâte sucrée) tart shell
Prepared Bichoux cream
Poached pear halves, well drained
Assembly & Baking
Line an 8-inch tart ring or tart pan with sweet dough.
Spread the Bichoux cream into the unbaked sweet dough shell, filling it approximately halfway.
Slice the poached pear halves thinly while keeping each half together.
Arrange 4 sliced pear halves around the tart, gently fanning the slices.
Use an additional ½ pear half to fill the spaces between or complete the decoration.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes.
Test the center by gently touching it. The cream should feel firm and set.
Cool before removing from the tart ring or pan.
Why Sweet Dough Works Here
The sweet dough gives you a crisp, buttery shell that contrasts with the soft pear and creamy almond filling. It is also sturdy enough to support the baked filling and give the finished tart clean, professional slices.
Bake
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.
For the Bourdaloue tart especially, remember the important professional cues:
Sweet dough goes in unbaked.
Cream fills the shell about halfway.
Poached pears are sliced and arranged on top.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes.
You judge doneness by touching the center for firmness, not blindly trusting a timer.
