pear and hazelnut crostada

so, i'm back.

and, with one of my favorite

desserts:

a pear crostada that

has successfully served

several thanksgivings.

every year,

after i've had my first bite,

i think, why don't i make

this at the first sign

of fall, when pears are popping

up left and right at the markets?

the answer is simple:

i really don't make desserts

without an occasion.

but if i was the type of person

who decided on a sunday

to just make a pie or tart

to enjoy after dinner,

this would be the one that

i would turn to,

time and time again.

because, without a doubt,

this is my kind of dessert.

reason 1: it's fruit based.

if given the choice,

i will almost always pick a

fruity sweet - something with

apples, plums, peaches,

blueberries, strawberries,

bananas, pineapples -

over a chocolate concoction.

make it an in season,

peak of their prime fruit,

like juicy pears,

and you don't even have to ask.

just cut me a sliver.

reason number 2: it has a crust.

maybe because it took me so

long to feel comfortable making

pie crusts or maybe it's just because

pastry crusts are

buttery, tender and lovely,

but i just think there is something

incredibly special about

pies, tarts

and their flaky bases.

unless you're offering me carrot cake, too,

i'll take the pie, please.

reason number 3: hazelnuts.

i never really understood the power

of these buttery fragrant nuts

until i started making

larry's birthday cake.

but then, i was hooked. once

toasted and husked, they offer

an unparalleled element to sweet

and savory preparations. here,

they get double time to shine:

first, they're ground with flour

to form the base in the crust,

then whirled in the food processor

with butter and brown sugar

to make the crumb topping.

reason number 4: it's a crostada.

ok, if i'm being honest, this is

probably what drew me to the

recipe. when i first printed it out,

years ago, i had finally come to

terms with the fact that it is not

that hard to throw ingredients

in a food processor to make a crust.

but, my rolling, transferring and

pressing prettily into a pie pan skills?

still shaky. a crostada, in which

i could roll the dough out into

as close to a circle as i could get

it, pile it high with pears and then

fold over the edges, this way

and that, was right up my alley.

read: it's forgiving.

reason number 5: it can be made in steps.

well, i don't live with my mom anymore,

but that's where we celebrate thanksgiving.

even though this fall beauty is rustic,

i still think it's a little fragile -

i'd rather not bake, then transport.

(although, probably, that's my own paranoia.)

i love that i can show up

at my mom's house with:

a disk of dough that is still chilled after

an over an hour in the car, a container of

buttery hazelnut crumbs for the top,

three ripe pears and a tiny plastic bag

of flour and sugar to later mix with

those pears. oh, and there's usually

an orange rolling pin sticking

out of my bag, too, but a bottle of wine

would work just as well.

still not convinced?

well, let me tell you a couple other

things. this is the kind of crostada

that makes people tell you how good

it smells in the house before they're

even fully inside. it's the type of

crostada, that i think actually looks fun

to make - so much so that almost every

year, one of my sisters helps roll

the dough, fold the edges

or adds the crumbs on top.

and, most importantly, it's the type of

crostada that makes everyone at my

mom's thanksgiving table take a slice:

from someone who always thinks

they are too full to even come back to the table,

to a chocoholic, to another who doesn't

even eat dessert. ever.

and that, i think, is enough of a reason right there.

pear and hazelnut crostada

adapted from bon appetit magazine

over the years, i've done everything from making the piecrust and crumb topping over the weekend and freezing them until wednesday night, to just making them both thursday morning and chilling until i leave to go to my mom's. they both work just fine. oh, and if you're really on your game, give yourself a head start by toasting and husking the hazelnuts the night before. directions are here.

i should note that the one difficulty i've had with this recipe is the baking time. it instructs 400˚f in the bottom third of the oven for 40 minutes, then 12 more after that. i've never even made it to the extra 12. in fact, 40 minutes seems too long. next year, i am absolutely baking this in the center of the oven for 30 minutes and then checking to prevent it from getting too brown. (in fact, this time, i took it out after about only 26 minutes of baking and it was already darker than i would have liked it.) below, however, i'm including the directions from the original recipe. enjoy it - oh, and pick up some vanilla ice cream, too.

topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked

5 tablespoons packed golden brown sugar

3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed

pinch of salt

in bowl of food processor, combine all ingredients; blend 1 minute, or until clumps form. transfer to small bowl or container; chill until needed. no need to clean the food processor between steps.

crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup bread flour

1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked

3 tablespoons packed golden brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed

2-3 tablespoons ice water

in bowl of food processor, combine all-purpose flour, bread flour, hazelnuts, sugar and salt; blend 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until hazelnuts are finely chopped. add butter and pulse, just until coarse meal forms. with motor running, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water and process just until a ball of dough forms, adding more water, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary. transfer dough to work surface and form until a ball; flatten into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

when you're ready to bake. heat oven to 400˚f. place dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll dough to a 13-inch round (or as close to a round as you can get), lifting paper, smoothing wrinkles and turning as needed. remove and discard top piece of parchment paper. transfer bottom piece of parchment paper with dough to a large unrimmed baking sheet.

filling

1 3/4 pounds ripe bartlett pears, peeled, quartered, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

in medium bowl, gently combine pears, sugar and flour.

place pear mixture in center of dough, mounding high and leaving a 2-inch border. using parchment paper as an aid, if necessary, fold dough over pears, pleating loosely and pinching to seal any cracks.

sprinkle hazelnut topping over pears (it will seem like a lot, but still, put it all on there). bake 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. (start checking it after about 20 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.) tent very loosely with foil to prevent over-browning and bake until juices bubble thickly, about 12 minutes more. transfer baking sheet to rack; cool completely or just until warm. slide large spatula under crust to free from parchment and transfer to a platter (note: my mom and i transfer it every year using three large spatulas and finger-crossing.)