There’s a moment in late October when the Dordogne turns to gold — walnut groves glowing like embers, and pears ripening until they almost melt in your hands. This tart is born of that moment: a simple crust, sweet pears, local honey, and a handful of toasted walnuts. No grand gestures — just a quiet hymn to the season.

 

You’ll want to use the ripest pears you can find — Comice or Williams if possible — and real miel de fleurs (wildflower honey). In the old farmhouses near Sarlat, this tart was often baked on Sundays, when the fire had cooled just enough to coax caramel from the fruit without burning it.

 

Ingredients (for one 26 cm / 10 in tart):

• 1 sheet puff pastry (250 g / 9 oz)

• 3 ripe pears, peeled and sliced

• 100 g (1 cup) walnut halves, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp local honey

• 50 g (¼ cup) butter, melted

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp Armagnac or cognac (optional)

• A pinch of cinnamon and salt

 

Instructions:

 

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C / 375°F. Line your tart tin with the pastry and prick it lightly with a fork.

2. In a small pan, melt the butter with honey, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add a splash of Armagnac if you have some — it deepens the flavor beautifully.

3. Arrange the pear slices neatly in the tart shell. Scatter over the walnuts, then drizzle with the honey-butter mixture.

4. Bake for about 30–35 minutes, until the edges are golden and the pears slightly caramelized.

5. Serve warm, perhaps with a spoon of crème fraîche or a drizzle of extra honey.

 

 

Wine suggestion: A glass of Monbazillac or Saussignac — both sweet whites from the Dordogne — will echo the honeyed notes perfectly.

 

Sometimes, the simplest tart can remind you of a whole countryside — its orchards, its hives, its soft, slow afternoons.