Also known as a pear frangipane tart, this pear almond tart is spiced, poached pears sitting in an French almond sponge. It looks fancy but it’s not difficult to make and bonus spiced pear syrup is wonderful drizzled over the top or even over ice cream or in cocktails.
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
9 inch fluted tart tin with removable bottom
electric beater / stand mixer
Pie weights / baking beans / rice
Melon baller
Instructions
FOR THE PASTRY:In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the butter and icing sugar. Beat on medium until fully combined and smooth (1 – 2 minutes).
Add the egg and beat on low until smooth. Add the flour and beat just until large clumps are forming.
Turn the dough out and pull it together into a smooth ball with your hands (making sure not to handle it too much) then press it out into a 1 inch thick disk.
Place it onto a lightly floured work surface and dust the top with just a little flour too. Gently and gradually roll the pastry out, turning it often, to about 4-5mm thick or about 11 inches in diameter.
Place the rolling pin in the middle of the dough and fold one side of the pastry over the top. Lift the rolling pin so the pastry is hanging over it, and lightly dust off any excess flour from underneath. Carefully lay it into a 9 inch round tart pan with removeable base.
Press the dough down in to the corners all the way round, then press it into the scalloped sides. Leave the overhang standing upright and place the tart pan into the fridge to chill for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. If your freezer has space you can place it in there.
You can start preparing the poached pears now.
PAR BAKE THE TART SHELL:Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F.
Use a fork to prick the pastry base all over. Use a small sharp knife to trim off the excess pastry.
Line the tart shell with a sheet of baking paper and fill with pie weights or rice. Fill it quite full and making sure it’s pressed up tight against the edges.
Bake for 15 minutes then carefully remove the paper and pie weights and bake a further 5 minutes.
FOR THE POACHED PEARS: Peel and halve the pears. Carefully cut out the core (a melon baller makes this easy). Make sure to remove the stems too.
Place the water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and vanilla into a large saucepan over medium heat stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer. Add the pears and poach at a simmer for 7-10 minutes or until just tender when you poke them with a fork.
Remove the pears, drain them on paper towel.
Continue simmering the poaching liquid for another 15-20 minutes until you have around 1 cup or less left. Strain into a jug and set aside to cool.
FOR THE FRANGIPANE FILLING:Once the tart shell has finished blind-baking.
In a medium bowl with an electric beater, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Finally, mix in the flour, almond meal and ground cloves.
Carefully spread the mixture over the base of the tart shell.
Slice the pears into thin slices and holding them together, arrange over the top of the frangipane, points to the center of filling. Brush just a little of the thickened syrup just over the pears.
Bake for 60-70 minutes, turning the tray half way through, until golden and springy on top. If you notice any liquid pooling around the pears, soak it up with a paper towel. A little is fine.
Cool tart in the tin to room temperature before serving.
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Notes
Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (= 4 teaspoons)
For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
Baking time: All ovens vary, test for doneness 3-5 minutes before for the pastry blind bake and 5-10 minutes before for the end.
Pear Varieties: Packham pears, anjou pears or bosc pears will all work well.
Start the poached pears while the pastry is resting, so they drain and cool in time.
More Information
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Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.