Vegan Pear Tart
This recipe is for a 100% vegan dairy and egg free pear tart. Aquafaba will replace eggs and can be sourced easily from a tin of chickpeas. This tart is easy to make and simply delicious to eat.
Sharing a few notes to help you, there is no need to pre-cook the pastry case. Just remember to place the assembled tart on a pre-heated HOT baking tray in the oven and to prick with a fork to remove air bubbles. These two easy tricks will help to cook the pastry bottom crisp and allow any excess steam to evaporate. If you cannot find chickpeas any tinned precooked beans will contain aquafaba.
Ingredients
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Pastry
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240g plain flour- + extra for dusting and rolling
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150g vegan butter- chilled, cubed
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1 tbsp cold water
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40g icing sugar
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1 tsp cider vinegar
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Filling
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150g ground almonds
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30g plain white flour
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1 tbsp cornflour
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60g vegetable oil
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75ml aquafaba (chick pea water)
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100g caster sugar
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½ tsp baking powder
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1 tsp almond essence
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2 tbsp almond milk
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Topping
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Slice of fresh lemon
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2 x ripe pears- peeled, cored and cut into slices
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1 tbsp soft brown sugar- for dusting on top
Instructions
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Pastry:
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01 Either make by hand or place flour and butter in a food processor. Using a machine, process until resembles fine breadcrumbs and bind together with cold water and 1 tsp of cider vinegar. Leave to rest 15 minutes in fridge and then line a 25cm in diameter flan tin, approximately 2.5cm deep. Trim the edges and lightly prick all over the inside of the pastry case with a fork.
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Filling:
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02 Using either a hand whisk or electric mixer whisk up the liquid aquafaba until glossy and forms ribbons. Add the sugar, oil, almond extract and whisk up briefly again. Fold in by hand the ground almonds, sieved flour, cornflour, baking powder and ground almonds, adding the almond milk to form a smooth, soft batter. Spoon this mixture into your prepared pastry flan tin and place the quartered fresh pears attractively on top; pushing them into the almond mixture with your finger. Sprinkle all over the top with the soft brown sugar.
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Bake:
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03 Place the tart on top of a preheated baking tray already in the hot oven and bake slowly for up to 45 minutes or so or until firm to the touch. Reduce the oven heat to 150ºC if tart is colouring too quickly or cover with a piece of damp baking paper - see Jules tips.
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Serve:
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04 Delicious hot, warm or cold either on its own or accompanied with a spoonful of alternative non dairy yoghurt or whipped soya cream.
Notes
If the top of the tart is beginning to brown too much during cooking wet a piece of non-stick paper or greaseproof paper, squeeze out the excess water and lay it gently over the top of the tart. Leave it there until it has finished baking. This tart can be made the day before and I recommend to use a 25cm attractive china flan dish for this delicious tart or a loose bottomed flan tin for ease of serving. Placing the tart on a preheated HOT baking tray for cooking and pricking the inside of the lined pastry case with a fork will ensure a soggy bottom when cooking this tart by the ‘bake at once’ method.
