Pear and ginger tart

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
1¾ cup organic all purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed Rapadura or organic dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons minced organic crystallized ginger
1 cup ground organic pecans (see Note)
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks organic unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 organic egg yolk
1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
For the pear filling:
2 pounds (9 or 10) ripe, farm–fresh Bartlett or D’Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼-inch-thick pieces
¼ cup firmly packed organic dark brown sugar or Rapadura sugar
2 teaspoons grated organic lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the vanilla whipped cream:
1 pint organic heavy cream
1/3 cup organic powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon organic vanilla extra

Directions

To prepare the crust:

In a food processor, combine the flours, sugar, crystallized ginger, pecans, and salt and pulse for 10 seconds. Add the cubes of chilled butter, a few at a time, pulsing on and off for 1 minute, until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.

Add the egg yolk and vanilla, pulsing on and off until the mixture is combined.

Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Reserve the remaining crust dough for the top of the tart.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

For the filling:

In a medium bowl, mix the pears, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ginger.

Add the remaining ingredients, mixing with a spatula to coat the pears evenly.

To assemble the tart:

Arrange the pears in an attractive even layer in the crust and pour the remaining liquid on top.

Remove the extra crust dough from the refrigerator and crumble evenly on top.

Place the tart on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let cool on a wire rack and serve warm with the whipped cream.