Pear and Chocolate Tart: the Easy Recipe for the Decadent Dessert

The pear and chocolate tart is the recipe for one of the most loved French and Italian desserts of all time: the crumbly pastry base is filled with a dark chocolate filling and finally garnished with many slices of pears. Making it at home is easier than you might think: after preparing the pastry with egg yolks, cold butter, sugar and flour, you leave the dough to rest in the refrigerator; in the meantime, you can start taking care of the chocolate ganache, made with dark chocolate, cream, sugar and egg, which is cooled to room temperature and then poured into the shortcrust pastry shell.

The pears, which must be ripe but firm, are arranged in a radial pattern on the chocolate filling, for an elegant and impressive final result. The pear and chocolate tart is the perfect dessert to serve at the end of a meal, during a dinner with guests, or during the day for a tasty break, perhaps accompanied by a coffee or a cup of vanilla tea. If you are a lover of the extra dark flavor, we recommend using chocolate with a cocoa percentage of around 70-80 percent, otherwise for a more sweet and soft flavor you can opt for a lower percentage, around 50 percent.

To make the tart even tastier, we added a sprinkling of sugar to the surface before cooking; if you like, you can add chopped hazelnuts or flaked almonds to give the dessert a pleasant crunchy note. Find out how to prepare it by following the step-by-step procedure and advice.

How to Prepare Pear and Chocolate Tart

Make a well in the flour.

Add sugar to the center.

Add the cold butter cut into pieces.

Add the egg yolks and a pinch of salt.

Start kneading with your fingertips to soften the butter.

Knead with your hands and form a firm dough that does not stick to your hands.

Wrap the dough in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the chocolate ganache: pour the fresh liquid cream into a saucepan.

Add the icing sugar.

Mix with a whisk, transfer the saucepan to the heat and bring to a boil.

Once it reaches the boil, remove from the heat and add the chopped dark chocolate.

Stir vigorously to melt the chocolate.

The result must be a thick cream without lumps.

Transfer the cream into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

Butter and flour the tart mold with a diameter of approximately 22cm.

Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out with a rolling pin.

Cover the mold with the dough, making it adhere well to the edges.

Prick the pastry with the tines of a fork.

Add the egg to the now cold chocolate ganache.

Mix with a whisk to mix the egg into the cream well.

Pour the chocolate cream onto the tart base.

With the back of a spoon, distribute the cream evenly.

After peeling and cutting the pears into slices, arrange them in a radial pattern, pressing them gently into the cream.

You can place some pieces of pear in the center and then sprinkle with sugar. Cook the tart in a preheated oven at 356°F/180°C for approximately 30 minutes.

Take the pear and chocolate tart out of the oven and let it cool, then bring to the table and serve.

How to Store Pear and Chocolate Tart

The pear and chocolate tart can be kept at room temperature, under a glass bell jar or in a special airtight container, for 3 days.