As was expected, I ate myself straight into a coma on Thursday afternoon. Every Thanksgiving, some sort of deranged mindset takes over such that I must help myself to a little of everything and not dare disgrace the table by leaving one speck of it on my plate. Attempting (and failing) to convince the rest of my family and our guests that I needed a break between dinner and dessert, I resorted to doing jumping-jacks while the table was being cleared in order to make room in my belly for the grand finale.
You may already know my opinion on the matter, but I plan to say it anyway: dessert is by far the best part of any meal. To me it has many, many meanings and can arrive in plenty of forms. The definition of dessert is unique to every human being who eats, but I choose to define it as an after-dinner bite from which immense pleasure is taken. I usually find it in a few squares of good quality, extra-dark, almost bitter chocolate. Sometimes I make a single ramekin of apple crisp or once, on a whim, a pumpkin gingerbread souffle. My general rule of thumb is to use only natural sweeteners and whole-grain flours, if flour is required. This way, dessert serves as both the challenge and the reward.
This Pear & Apricot Tart does exactly that. In the base, I used a combination of whole-wheat and spelt flours and raw honey to sweeten. With trace minerals and allergy-fighting properties (if you buy locally), raw honey is great to use in place of sugar and the generic processed "honey." It's also very easy to find. The honey contributed nicely to the wonderful earthy flavor of the tart and gave it a perfect amount of sweetness. Of course, feel free to add more or less to suit your desires. This tart is wholesome enough to be called relatively healthy, with enough butter to be called indulgent. The perfect balance, if you ask me.
---------------------------------------
Pear & Apricot Tart // serves 8
-Adapted from Real Simple Magazine-
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon raw honey
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 + 1/3 cup whole-grain spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
liberal pinch of salt
2 firm pears, peeled, quartered and cored
1/2 cup dried apricots, halved
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Instructions
-Heat oven to 350'. Grease a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan or 9-inch glass pie plate with coconut oil or butter.
-In a food processor, process almonds until finely ground. Add butter, egg, almond extract and 1/2 cup honey and process until smooth. Add the flours, baking powder and salt and pulse a few times to combine. The dough will be sticky.
-Spread the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan or pie plate.
-In a small bowl, toss the pears and apricots with lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of honey. Arrange the pears in the dough, pressing in slightly. Scatter the apricots over the dough and press in gently.
-Bake until pears are tender and the center is firm, 55 minutes or so. Cover the edges with foil if they start to brown too quickly, as mine did.
-In a small bowl, combine the preserves with 1 tablespoon water. Brush over the warm tart and let cool before serving.
