I’m always up for making time-consuming and perfectly decorated sweets because I’m up for anything when it comes to baking. At the same time, there are those days when all you want to make is something rustic, aka messy. Why? I guess it’s just because the pressure is off. No one will judge you if your corners are uneven or if there is no specific shape to your dough. This is where the Pear Cardamom Crostata comes into play. Pears are perfect during the winter months because they hold their shape and get along well with many other fruit.

Another reason why I couldn’t pass up this recipe is that it reminded me of summer. I was experiencing some intense summer nostalgia this past week so I needed something to make me feel better about the cold. The buttery crust and the intense cardamom flavor did just that. It was like a flatter version of a pie. The Bosc pears and the cardamom were a delicious pairing. I’m sure things can only get better if you add vanilla ice cream on top.

Pear Cardamom Crostata (from Wintersweet: Seasonal Desserts to Warm the Home by Tammy Donroe Inman)

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 to 6 tbsp. ice water, as needed
3 tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cardamom, or more to taste
1 ½ lbs. Bosc pears (about 3 medium), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 9 small pieces
Small handful of fresh cranberries
1 tsp. milk

Prepare the crust by adding the flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter resembles the size of large peas. Add 3 tbsp. of the ice water through the feed tube, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition. Keep pulsing until the dough just starts to come together (you may need to add more water). Dump the dough unto the counter, form it into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the filling, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom (I used the seeds of 5 cardamom pods) in a small bowl and set aside. At this point you can slice the pears and set them aside.

Place the dough on a well-floured surface and roll it out to about ¼ inch thick rectangular. I rolled out my dough into a 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Wrap the dough around your rolling pin and lift it unto the prepared baking sheet. Leaving a 1-inch border around the crust, arrange the pears in two long rows. Sprinkle all but about 3 teaspoons of the sugar over the pears. Sprinkle the butter and cranberries all over the pears. Fold the edges of the dough over the pears on all four sides. Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with the rest of the sugar.
Bake the crostata for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp. Remove the crostata from the oven and let it cool slightly. Serve warm.