Name: Flaky Pie Crust
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon (15 g) sugar; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cup (230 g) chilled butter; 1/2 cup (120 g) water (with 2-3 cubes of ice in measuring cup)

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I Am So Excited To Share This Recipe For Flaky Pie Crust And Pear Almond Cream Bourdaloue Pie. Chef Monique Chan Is In My Kitchen Today And Teaching Us All How To Make The Best Pie Ever!

It’s Friday and I am back in the kitchen. My good friend Chef Monique Chan is here. Monique is here and she is teaching us how to make homemade pie crust and a Pear Almond Cream Pie. This fabulous dessert is also known as a Bourdaloue Pie Tart, which is the street name of the Paris bakery where this Pear Almond Cream Tart was created. I love that!

Before we get started, I wanted to share a bit about Monique. Since graduating as valedictorian of her pastry school in Paris, Monique has ceaselessly pursued excellence, working in renowned bakeries (Dominique Ansel Bakery), five-star hotels (Le Bristol Paris) and multiple Michelin starred restaurants (Epicure, The French Laundry). These achievements culminated in her role as Executive Pastry Chef of gastronomic restaurant Écriture in Hong Kong, which received two Michelin stars in a record-breaking seven months after opening.

To find Monique’s Instagram click here and to find her blog The Real Chez Momo click here.

Today I am sharing recipes to make a perfect pie crust and an almond cream which will result in a Pear Almond Cream Pie.

Be sure to check out the complete video which shows how to make this amazing desert. You can find the IGTV video on my Instagram here.

Also, for previous recipes shared by Chef Monique, go to How to Make an Apple Tart and 1-2-3 Basic Cake Recipe.

Flaky Pie Crust

I learned so much today as I now know I have been making pie crust the wrong way. Forever.

Monique used chilled ingredients for the pie crust such as chilled butter and iced water.

But what surprised me the most were the large portions of butter she used in the dough.

She rolled the dough out with the large pieces of butter and then folded it into thirds and rolled it again. This creates a much flakier crust.

Once it is folded and lightly rolled, it should look like this.

Although we used a square tart pan, this pie crust works perfectly for a one or two crust pie.

The entire experience is on my IGTV on my Instagram here. You really should watch the video as Monique shares so many great tips that I would hate for you to miss!

Yield: 12 servings

Flaky Pie Crust

This flaky pie crust is the best. The larger portions of butter are what make this crust so flaky and delicious,

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (15 g) sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (230 g) chilled butter
1/2 cup (120 g) water (with 2-3 cubes of ice in measuring cup)

Instructions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl with a spatula.
Cut butter into small squares. Add to flour mixture.
Combine the mixture with your hands until the butter pieces are fully covered with flour and are about the size of a cranberry.
Add the water a few tablespoons at a time and mix with a spatula. Keep adding the water until when you grab a handful of dough, and it sticks together. You may even need to add some additional water.
Form dough into two even balls and flatten into a square and wrap in plastic.
Chill dough at least one hour in the refrigerator, up to 1 day. Freeze if not used before then.
Roll the square of dough, keeping the same width, until the length is 3 x as long as the original square.
Fold the dough in thirds, as you would fold a letter to fit into an envelope [see video for more detail].

Place dough in pan and press into sides.
Cut the overlapping dough edges with a knife.
Prepare the top crust the same way.
Fill with pie filling. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
For the Pear Almont Tart, watch the video to see how to prepare the top crust.

This recipe was created by BraveTart and adapted by Monique Chan.

Almond Cream

The Almond Cream is a fairly simple recipe and consists of eggs, almond flour, sugar, butter and salt.

Yield: 12 servings

Pear and Almond Cream Bourdaloue Pie

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Flaky Pie Crust
4 red pears
9 tablespoons butter (125g)
1 1/3 (125 g) cup almond flour
5/8 cup (125 g) sugar
2 eggs (100 - 120 g)
pinch of kosher salt
scant tablespoon of rum (12 g), optional
1 egg for egg wash
Turbinado sugar

Instructions

Cream the butter until softened, about one minute in a stand mixer.
Add flour and sugar. Mix a few minutes until combined.
Add one egg and mix about five minutes until well mixed.
And the second egg and mix an additional five minutes.
Add salt and mix.
Chill in the refrigerator for about twenty minutes.
Once chilled, fill the crust pan with almond cream, about half full.
Cut the pears into halves, cutting around the core. Slice the pear halves into 1/4" slices.
Place the pear slices on top of the almond cream, in a decorative way. See the video for suggestions.
Bake in 350 degree oven for ~ 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the almond cream comes out clean.
Cut or make a decorative pattern with the top crust. Once finished, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired.
Bake the top crust separately on parchment or a Silpat, for ~ 30 minutes in a 300-degree oven until light golden brown. [Tip: bake crust from frozen, if possible, to help keep the shape and decorative pattern.]