Pear Tart

Make the dough. Zest the lemon by grating it on a fine grater (yellow part only, avoiding the white pith).

Cream the softened butter and half of the lemon zest together with the sugar.

Add the egg and mix well.

Add the flour and baking powder (or baking soda), and knead the dough by hand into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a greased pan (I used a 22 cm diameter pan). Press it evenly across the bottom with your hands, then form a rim about 2 centimeters high around the sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Peel the pears and cut them in half. Remove the cores with a knife, then slice into small wedges.

Arrange the pear slices in a fan pattern over the dough. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 15 minutes.

Make the custard cream. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the egg yolks, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract) and mix thoroughly.

Add a small amount of cold milk and stir with a spoon until smooth.

Add the remaining milk and place over medium heat.

Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and let it simmer for no more than one minute.

Remove the pan from the oven and spread the custard cream over the pears, smoothing it with a spoon. Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes at the same temperature.

Let the finished tart cool completely so the filling sets (otherwise it may fall apart when sliced).

Here's what the pear tart looks like on the inside. This pear tart turns out incredibly delicious!