Barchiglia - A Pear-Almond Tart Recipe from the Old Country
It’s called Barchiglia - a chocolate-glazed almond tart with pear preserves, a traditional Easter dessert from southern Italy.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Resting time1 hour hr
Total Time2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: barchiglia, pear almond tart
Servings: 12
Calories: 503kcal
Pastry
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pea-sized pieces
- 1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Almond Filling
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 3 large eggs, separated
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Pinch of kosher salt
Marmellata di Pere (Pear Preserves) - (this makes enough to have leftovers)
- 3 pounds ripe pears, peeled and cored
- 2-¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (60-65% cacao), coarsely chopped
Pastry
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a food processor and pulse just until mixed together. Add pieces of butter and pulse again until small crumbs form.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon zest.
Then, with the food processor running, slowly add the egg-zest mixture through the feed tube. Mix, then pulse until dough forms around the blades. Pinch dough between your fingers...if it sticks together easily, it’s done.
Separate dough into two balls. Press each ball into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. If refrigerated for over 1 hour, let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before attempting to roll it out.
Marmellata di Pere (Pear Preserves)
Cut pears into ½” pieces and place in a pot.
Stir pears together with sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and let rest for 1 hour.
Once some of the pears juices have released, bring to a boil, then simmer until pears are translucent and syrup is lightly golden, about 45 minutes (215℉ on a candy thermometer). Let cool completely. FYI, this will stay good in the fridge for up to a month!
Almond Filling
To blanch almonds, drop almonds into boiling water for about 20 seconds, drain, and let dry. Place dried almonds in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs.
In a stand mixer, whisk egg yolks and sugar at medium-high until fluffy. Gently mix in cinnamon, lemon zest, and ground almonds until mixed well (it will be very thick, like a paste!). Set aside and clean bowl and whisk for the next step.
In stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and pinch of salt until peaks are firm but not dry. Fold ⅓ of egg whites into almond mixture, then another ⅓, then final ⅓ until all egg whites and almond mixture are folded together.
Putting the Tart Together
Preheat oven to 350℉.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry dough and place into tart pan.
Spread pear preserves over the bottom in an even layer.
Pour almond filling over top and spread evenly with a spatula.
Bake until golden and puffed, about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
Chocolate Ganache
The final step is to make a chocolate ganache to spread over the top of the tart.
Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.
Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Let melt for a minute, then stir to combine until smooth.
Let cool until it’s just slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour over center of the tart and use a spatula to gently spread it to the edges.
Let stand about 2 hours, to allow the glaze to set, and serve!
Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 23g | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 85mg