{"id":8433,"date":"2026-10-19T23:31:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8433"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:50:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:50:27","slug":"tarte-bourdaloue","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/tarte-bourdaloue\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarte Bourdaloue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Between the white curves of the pears, the golden browned surface of the almond cream shows through. Tarte Bourdaloue is a French tart in which pears and almond cream are baked until fragrant. It is also called amandine aux poires, but the history of \u201cBourdaloue,\u201d a name taken from a Paris street, also includes warm fruit desserts that do not fit within today\u2019s pear tart.<\/p>\n

A name from Rue Bourdaloue and the history of its pastry makers<\/h2>\n

Rue Bourdaloue in Paris\u2019s 9th arrondissement is named after the preacher Louis Bourdaloue. What the pastry inherited was the name of the street; there is no story that the preacher himself created it.<\/p>\n

According to the account handed down, Nicolas Bourgoin made a pastry of the same name at Lesserteur\u2019s shop at No. 7 on the street, and his successor Fasquelle made a warm dessert of pears and frangipane sprinkled with crushed macarons<\/a>. This history concerns pastry makers and a shop, but not every \u201cBourdaloue\u201d of that time was today\u2019s pear tart.<\/p>\n

\n\"Streetscape\n
Rue Bourdaloue in Paris\u2019s 9th arrondissement, which is linked to the pastry\u2019s name (February 2, 2019). This is a photograph of the present-day street, not of the 19th-century pastry shop itself. Photo: CVB, \u201cRue Bourdaloue Paris\u201d \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Image obtained from the distributing source. No content alterations or cropping made this time.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Baked cakes and fruit desserts recorded under the same name<\/h2>\n

\u201cLa Bourdaloue\u201d in Pierre Lacam\u2019s 1900 pastry book is a baked cake made from almonds, sugar, eggs and egg yolks, and starch, with whipped egg whites added. Kirsch is added to the batter, the cake is baked in a flat copper mold, and it is finished with a cura\u00e7ao glaze and a cross. Pears do not appear, and the author records it as a creation of Lesserteur on Rue Bourdaloue. A cake of baked almond batter covered with a liqueur glaze, and a tart in which fruit is sunk into cream and baked: pastries with different ingredients and methods were made under the same name.<\/p>\n

In addition to pears, Escoffier\u2019s Le guide culinaire also includes \u201capricots Bourdaloue.\u201d A blind-baked case is layered with frangipane containing crushed macarons and fruit poached in syrup, more cream and macarons are placed on top, melted butter is sprinkled over, and the surface is browned. It also lists versions in which the fruit is sandwiched between layers of cream inside the case, and versions that use rice, semolina or g\u00e9noise around the fruit.<\/p>\n

Even before today\u2019s tart with pears arranged in a radiating pattern became known, the name Bourdaloue was used for a variety of desserts. Today there are also versions that replace the pears with apples; in all of them, the fruit is baked together with almond cream.<\/p>\n

\n\"Homemade\n
A tarte Bourdaloue made at home by the photographer (October 10, 2010; location unknown). Pears and almond decorations are arranged on the surface. Photo: Jebulon \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ Public domain<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No content alterations or cropping made on our side.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Cooking the pears while keeping their outline<\/h2>\n

Some methods use pears poached in syrup or pear halves preserved in syrup, while others use well-ripened fresh fruit. When poached pears are used, they are drained, cut into halves, slices or other shapes, and arranged. Even when sliced thinly, if the slices are transferred while keeping the outline of the half, fine parallel lines appear on the surface.<\/p>\n

For the poaching syrup, some recettes (ingredient proportions and methods) combine not only vanilla but also cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Poaching softens the fruit while transferring the syrup\u2019s aroma to the flesh. Draining and cooling the fruit after poaching makes the moist fruit ready to be placed on the pastry.<\/p>\n

Akari Kyono of P\u00e2tisserie Acacier uses well-ripened pears from Nagano Prefecture. In this recipe, the pears are sliced thinly while keeping the shape of the halves, arranged, and their juice is allowed to soak into the almond cream. The base is p\u00e2te feuillet\u00e9e, made by folding butter into the dough to create layers, and the fresh pears and cream are baked together. Both the method that makes use of the shape and aroma of poached fruit and the method that lets the juice of ripe fruit soak into the filling are part of how this tart is made.<\/p>\n

Almond cream and frangipane: names and proportions<\/h2>\n

One possible filling is almond cream, which combines butter, sugar, eggs and almond flour. When baked, it browns around the edges and forms a fragrant layer around the fruit. Other methods use what is called frangipane, which is almond cream combined with cr\u00e8me p\u00e2tissi\u00e8re.<\/p>\n

In recette headings, the name frangipane is also used for mixtures that contain no milk custard. Whether milk custard is mixed into a nut-and-butter cream can be confirmed by looking at the ingredients and steps.<\/p>\n

\n\"Tarte\n
Tarte Bourdaloue (September 23, 2012; location unknown). Pears that keep the shape of their halves are arranged in a radiating pattern. Photo: traaf, \u201ctarte bourdaloue\u201d \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>. Full-size image obtained. No content alterations or cropping made on our side.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Baking with the filling, or blind-baking the tart shell first<\/h2>\n

For the outside, p\u00e2te bris\u00e9e or a sweet tart pastry is used. In the method from the Larousse cookbook, the cream is spread in a pastry-lined tin, the pears are arranged like a crown, and everything is baked together. After baking, the tart is cooled slightly, removed from the tin, and served cold.<\/p>\n

Some pastry chefs blind-bake the shell first. In C\u00e9dric Grolet\u2019s published steps, a mixture of egg yolk and cream is brushed onto the blind-baked shell, which is baked again before being filled with almond cream. In addition to baking the base first, this method adds a step of brushing the inside with the egg yolk and cream mixture and baking it.<\/p>\n

The pears can be cut into halves, quarters, slices or other forms and arranged. Glazing the tart with nappage after baking and scattering sliced almonds over it adds a nutty crunch on the surface as well, in addition to the ground almonds mixed into the filling.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Amandine aux poires<\/strong>: A name for a tart made with pears and almonds.<\/p>

P\u00e2te bris\u00e9e<\/strong>: A short pastry dough made from wheat flour, fat, water and other ingredients.<\/p>

Blind baking<\/strong>: Baking the shell alone before filling it.<\/p>

Cr\u00e8me p\u00e2tissi\u00e8re<\/strong>: A custard-type cream cooked from milk, eggs, sugar, starch and other ingredients.<\/p>

Frangipane<\/strong>: An almond cream. In modern technical explanations, it refers to a mixture with cr\u00e8me p\u00e2tissi\u00e8re, but recette headings use the term more broadly.<\/p>

Nappage<\/strong>: A glossy coating brushed onto the surface of fruit or tarts.<\/p>

C\u00e9dric Grolet<\/strong>: A French pastry chef. He published a process in which a blind-baked shell is brushed with egg yolk and dairy cream and baked again.<\/p>

Louis Bourdaloue<\/strong>: 1632\u20131704. A French preacher after whom the Paris street is named.<\/p>

Pierre Lacam<\/strong>: 1836\u20131902. A French pastry chef and an author who wrote on the history of pastry.<\/p>

Nicolas Bourgoin, Fasquelle<\/strong>: The former is said to have made the early pastry at Lesserteur\u2019s at No. 7 Rue Bourdaloue; the latter, as his successor, is said to have made a dessert using pears and frangipane.<\/p>

Escoffier<\/strong>: A French chef and cookbook author. He recorded fruit Bourdaloues in his cookbook.<\/p>

Macaron<\/strong>: Here, a baked confection made from almonds and other ingredients, crushed and used in the cream or on the surface.<\/p>

Semolina<\/strong>: A granular flour made by coarsely grinding wheat or other grains.<\/p>

G\u00e9noise<\/strong>: A sponge-type cake baked using whipped eggs.<\/p>

Kirsch \/ cura\u00e7ao<\/strong>: The former is a cherry spirit; the latter is a liqueur with a citrus aroma. In the 1900 pastry of the same name, they are used separately, in the batter and the glaze respectively.<\/p>

Akari Kyono<\/strong>: A pastry chef at P\u00e2tisserie Acacier. This article introduces the chef\u2019s recipe using fresh pears.<\/p>

P\u00e2te feuillet\u00e9e<\/strong>: Puff pastry with layers created by folding in butter. Original term: p\u00e2te feuillet\u00e9e.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n

  1. \u2022 \u00c9ditions Larousse, \u201cTarte Bourdaloue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Bris\u00e9e; draining and slicing pears in syrup; an egg-and-almond filling; a tin baked all at once.\n\u2022 C\u00e9dric Grolet, \u201cTarte bourdaloue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The process of blind baking, brushing with egg yolk and cream, reheating, and filling with almond cream.\n\u2022 Julie Andrieu, \u201cLa tarte bourdaloue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Pears poached in syrup with cinnamon, cloves and star anise and then cooled; a sabl\u00e9 pastry; two kinds of cream in the ingredient list.\n\u2022 City of Paris, \u201cCes 5 p\u00e2tisseries ont \u00e9t\u00e9 invent\u00e9es \u00e0 Paris,\u201d Bourdaloue section<\/a> \u2014 The street and the preacher\u2019s name; the Bourgoin and Fasquelle versions recorded by Lacam; the present-day apple version.\n\u2022 Auguste Escoffier, Le guide culinaire, Entremets section<\/a> \u2014 Abricots Bourdaloue and its note; Poires Bourdaloue; browning of the cream and macarons sandwiching the fruit; rice and semolina versions.\n\u2022 Chef Simon, \u201cTarte Bourdaloue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Choice of pear shapes; baking together; glazing; traditional use of frangipane.\n\u2022 Chef Simon, \u201cFrangipane\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Definition as almond cream combined with cr\u00e8me p\u00e2tissi\u00e8re.<\/p><\/li>

  2. Pierre Lacam, Le m\u00e9morial historique et g\u00e9ographique de la p\u00e2tisserie, 5th edition (1900), p. 183, Wellcome Collection<\/a> \u2014 The full process for La bourdaloue, read directly in the holding institution\u2019s OCR and the original page image. Batter containing kirsch, cura\u00e7ao glaze, flat copper mold, cross, attribution to Lesserteur.<\/li>

  3. Research notes<\/h3><\/li>

  4. The earlier draft\u2019s statement that he \u201ctook over the shop about ten years later\u201d was deleted because its starting point could not be established. The City of Paris\u2019s secondary explanation says ten years later, but French Wikipedia describes a move ten years after business began at a different address in 1860, which cannot be equated with ten years after the early pastry. Because the original of the other address directory was not consulted this time, no year of the move has been newly established.<\/p><\/li>

  5. For p. 183 of the 1900 5th edition, the original page image at Wellcome was examined directly and also checked against the OCR. The glaze is cura\u00e7ao, and kirsch is contained in the batter. This is distinguished from the \u201ckirsch glaze\u201d found in Wikipedia and its reproductions. In the original entry, the creation is attributed to Lesserteur, and the detailed chronological order of Nicolas Bourgoin and Fasquelle is not given on the same page. These names are treated as part of the history conveyed by the city\u2019s explanation, and the process in a single entry is not extended into a record of the sole invention of the modern tart.<\/p><\/li>

  6. All Japan Confectionery Association, Akari Kyono, \u201cTarte aux Poires Bourdaloue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Ripe fresh pears, juice, laminated pastry, assembly and baking.<\/li>
  7. P\u00e2tissier Tech\u014d, \u201cHow to Make Pear Tarte Bourdaloue\u201d<\/a> \u2014 A method of peeling and cutting fresh pears and placing them on the cream.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Tarte Bourdaloue is a French tart that combines pears and almond cream. Thinly sliced pears, gathered into the shape of halves, are arranged on a golden-baked base. The white curves of the fruit and the browned almond visible between them reveal the combination of ingredients even before the tart is cut.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7448,"menu_order":204,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Tarte Bourdaloue","subtitle":"The roundness of pears, cradled in almond cream","topics":"Preparing pears to be soft while keeping their shape \/ Turning ground almonds into cream \/ A pastry bearing the name of a Paris street","country":"France","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["nuts","cream"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[163],"class_list":["post-8433","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t