The details of our Thanksgiving meal always brings about a lot of dialogue in my family. Should we dry or wet brine the turkey? Where am I getting the turkey? This year I received a text (in October, no less) from my middle son asking if we can do a deconstructed turkey! All of which is debatable, but one thing is for certain – Pumpkin Pie is non-negotiable. And of course, we always pick a second dessert.
I’ve been receiving many requests for gluten-free dessert recipes lately. This is something very new to me because no one in my immediate family has dietary restrictions, but I’m encountering more and more friends with Celiac disease or an intolerance to gluten.
Therefore, whenever I have people over, I inquire about food or dietary restrictions. As a people pleaser, I’m always up for the challenge! It’s really not that difficult to accommodate these requests thanks to the internet.
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Ultimately, I want my guests to feel comfortable and eat!!“
With Thanksgiving around the corner, I wanted to find and/or create a gluten free seasonal dessert that would taste delicious for everyone. Through trial and error, I found this recipe (from “Forty Nine Figs” ) for these beautiful and tasty pear tartlets. The ingredient list is short and the crust can be made ahead of time. I love using a 4-5” individual tart pan, but you certainly can use one 9-10 inch pan as well. I made these Pear Tarts using this recipe for my sisters, and they all fell in love at first bite.
The ingredients can be found at most stores. The quinoa flour and almond flour are both Bob’s Red Mill, but there are many brands out there. The filling, made with almond extract and almond flour, is slightly under baked which makes for a delectable combination with the caramelized pears on top. Tarts can be served with a generous dollop of whipped cream, because honestly, what’s a dessert without whipped cream? And it’s naturally gluten free to boot!
INGREDIENTS
(makes 5 small mini tarts or one 10” tart)
Crust:
- 3/4 C almond flour
- 3/4 C quinoa flour
- 4 oz cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 oz powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 t vanilla extract
- Sift flours and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Add butter. Mix together using the paddle attachment just until no large chunks of butter remain.
- In a separate small bowl, beat egg yolk with vanilla with a fork and add to the other ingredients.
- Mix until the dough just comes together.
- Form a disk, wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
- Cut into rounds slightly larger than the 4” tart pans. I used a cup, or any bowl approx. 5”.
- Press into the tart pans, pressing gently and trimming the excess.
- Refrigerate a bit, poke holes with a fork in the bottom.
- Blind bake using pie weights or beans at 350 for approx. 15 min. let cool completely.
Almond cream:
- 1/2 C + 1T granulated sugar
- 3/4 C almond flour
- 4 oz (1 stick) butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 t almond extract
- 2 small pears
- Place sugar, almond flour and butter in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a spatula after each addition.
- Add extract.
- Spread the almond cream inside each crust. Cut thick slices of pear and place in the center.
- Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
Looks delicious, Polly! Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!!! xoxox
And wishing you a most wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving.
Polly- everything you create, you make look so easy. Will give this a try… after thanksgiving just in case it does not turn out as pretty as yours!! Love all the recipes you share so graciously with us!! Happy thanksgiving to you and your family!
Thank you Maureen! I’m sure they will turn out just as pretty.