chocolate, almond + pear tart {gluten-free}

as many of you are working on your thanksgiving day menus, i thought now was the perfect time to share this wonderful dessert that i made a few weeks ago. when i first saw the recipe, i realized that i’d never tried pears + chocolate together, at least not any time recently, + was intrigued by how the flavors would work together. thinking about it, i realized that they could be an interesting, tasty combination, plus the recipe had received very positive reviews, so i decided to give it a try.

let me say, i’m so glad i did. the pears work amazingly well with the chocolate + almond body of the tart, which is rich, perfectly textured, + delicious. also, this tart turned out absolutely beautiful, which for me is a major plus for a thanksgiving dessert. in many families, the thanksgiving desserts sit out on prominently on a dessert table for everyone to admire before diggin’ in, + this tart would definitely be one of the stars of the table with its gorgeous crimped edges, deep chocolate color, + delicate sliced pears. so, if you’re looking for a new dessert to try for your thanksgiving this year, think about trying out this chocolate + pear tart. i loved it, + i’m sure you + your family will, too!

chocolate pear tart

makes 8 servings, adapted from martha stewart

ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 cup whole blanched almonds
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 firm, ripe bartlett pears
1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons apple jelly

directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees. brush a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with butter; set aside.

in a food processor, combine almonds + sugar; process until very finely ground. add butter, eggs, cocoa, vanilla, salt, + almond extract, if using; process until combined. spread mixture evenly in prepared pan.

peel, halve, + core pears; cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rubbing them with lemon as you work (to prevent discoloration). arrange slices on chocolate mixture, slightly overlapping, without pressing in.

place pan on a baking sheet; bake until top is puffed and a toothpick inserted in center of chocolate mixture comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 45 – 50 minutes. cool completely in pan.

briefly heat jelly in the microwave or on the stove until liquefied. gently brush pears with jelly; let set, at least 20 minutes. remove tart from pan, + serve.

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