Enjoy this spiced tart all throughout the season! It’s easy to prepare: the dough serves as the base and the streusel, with a thick layer of juicy pears between. We’ve flavored this tart with Chinese Five Spice, a spice mixture most commonly made from star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, sichuan pepper and fennel seeds. The blend of warm baking spices along with fennel and pepper makes this dish familiar yet surprising, while still letting the pears be the star of the show.
Preheat oven to 375°F and spray or butter an 8-inch springform pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, spice and ⅔ cup sugar.
Add cubed butter and gently mix to coat with flour. Add extract, whole egg and egg yolk. Either by hand or with a pastry cutter, cut butter into the dough until a crumbly dough is formed. Set aside ⅓ of the dough to use as the streusel topping.
Knead the remaining ⅔ of dough until it just comes together. Press the dough into the prepared pan, coming up the sides ¾-inch to create the crust. Chill for 15 minutes while you prepare the fruit.
Wash, core and slice pears into ½-inch slices. Gently toss with 2 tablespoons sugar then layer over the chilled crust. Evenly sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the crumbly dough over the top to create the streusel.
Place the springform pan atop a baking sheet to catch any juices that may seep from the pan. Bake for 65-70 minutes until the streusel is golden brown on top.
Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing the ring. Top with powdered sugar, slice and serve warm.