Oops, so sorry I’m late.  I’ve missed the comment rush, but that’s okay.  I’m a dork and couldn’t locate my photos to go along with my post.  :-0.  Anyway, I loved that Dorie chose this tart for us this week, loved making it, loved eating,  loved sharing and loved being a part of this group.   It was just such a Parisian kind of feeling (not that I’ve ever been there) and kind of had that “special”  and fruffy feeling.  Share the Love and Enjoy!  I did.[SinglePic not found]

This is the first baking selection for the New Year 2009.  It also happens to be the First Anniversary of Tuesdays With Dorie baking group.    I bake along with one of the best baking groups in the blog world.  It’s called Tuesdays with Dorie.  Dorie Greenspan authored the book (among many others) Baking From My Home to Yours.  Each week,  a selection is made from this book by one of the members of the nearly 400 bakers.  Baking is done  during the week and posted on Tuesdays.  So that is the story.  Chances are, if you are among the handful of people who are reading this you are aware.  Just in case you have happened onto this site somehow in the spider web of the internet, you might want to understand the purpose of this post and blog.  I just call it sharing the love.  I love to bake pretty food.  Especially sweet food.  Although I love to eat savory food as well.  Don’t worry!  I love food, think about food, . . .  all the time.

Last night I quickly put together the Sweet Tart Dough in my food processor.  I pressed it into my rectangular tart pan and took it to my freezer for the night.   Dorie’s recipe suggests you can vary the dough slightly and so I exchanged some of the flour for almond flour.   I’ve  made Sweet Tart dough before in my Food Processer and its so easy and tastes so good!  Seriously!   My mental picture is that of a giant shortbread cookie with the tart filling on top.  Its just that good.   I have not used this particular pan frequently so I was pumped about creating this beautiful French Pear Tart in this particular pan.  Its kind of fun to change it up a bit, don’t you think?[SinglePic not found]

This morning I went to the gym for a rigorous hour of training.  I had a little extra incentive, with that old after the holiday “fright!”  Well, also so that I could have some of this sweet stuff tonight.   A trip to the store for the pears for the French Pear Tart was really all I needed to produce this dessert.  Just for fun, I choose to poach my fresh pears.   Dorie suggests that even some of the highly acclaimed pastry chefs use canned pears.  Can you believe that?  The almond cream was lovely, made again with Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour.   I had it on hand and had used it before for almond cream when making a previous tart.   I did add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to this mixture to enhance the almond flavoring a little more.

I conferred with my designer friend about the placement of the sliced, poached pears.  Wasn’t it just so kismet that she and her husband dropped by just as I was slicing my little fruits?   Perfect timing!  So, we placed the pears on a cutting board in front of the pan just to make sure everything fit and looked , well, the way we wanted them to look.  That was fun!  So in a bit….I’m off to her house for a special delivery, with some of Dorie’s French Pear Tart.

This really was a fun project.  I don’t mind multiple steps to a project because you can do them along with all your regular life stuff.  I learned how to core those little fruits with my older brothers baby spoon (my Mom gave me), which worked like a charm.  Also, in my case with this particular pan I baked for approximately 40 minutes.   The recipe calls for a 9″ round tart pan and suggests an approximate baking time of 50 minutes.   The unbaked components are just as tastey as the baked.  he he .  That is a secret you will have to discover for yourself.  Do you want to see the recipe?  I’ll tell you how.  Just click  here.  If you make this lovely tart,  you can taste the goodness for yourself.

You know, Dorie chose this weeks recipe.  She Did TOO!!!   Uh huh!!!   Just take a look at her website if you don’t believe me.  www.DorieGreenspan.com.   She has the lovely recipe there as well.  There are many many many beautiful French Pear Tarts out there so please enjoy the photography (of which there are many print worthy photos) and  visit all your favorite TWD bakers on the  Blogroll.  It is so fun to see all the energy and success of these baker women and even a few men.  Yep, that’s right we do not discriminate.     Not to mention, many of them are quite entertaining and funny. 

As a special treat to our Tuesday’s with Dorie bakers,  Laurie of Quirky Cupcake,  who is our fearless leader organized with Dorie an Anniversary  Q & A interview on the Tuesday’s with Dorie site.  What a fun and wonderfully inspiring woman she is to many.  Click here and get to know Dorie.  Get you own Baking From My Home to Yours and bake along with all these baking friends.