Pear frangipane tart
Ingredients
- for the pastry:
- 175g plain flour
- 115g cold butter, cut into cubes
- 50g icing sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- pinch of salt
- for the pears:
- 2 conference pears
- 100g caster sugar
- 750ml water
- for the batter:
- 250g softened butter
- 250g caster sugar
- 250g almonds, ground
- 5 eggs
- 50g plain flour
Method
- Make your own pastry to start.
- In a food processor blitz flour and butter until you get a fine breadcrumb, then add icing sugar, egg yolks and a pinch of salt and blend until it comes together in a ball (a few seconds, so be careful not to overwork it).
- Form pastry dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest.
- This might be more pastry than you need for one tart, but it will keep for a week in the fridge and also freezes well.
- Peel two firm pears and add to a pan with caster sugar and 750ml water and simmer for about 20 mins until soft.
- Leave to cool in the syrup (which you should keep to use later in cocktails!).
- For the tart itself heat the oven to 220C/Gas7.
- Roll out pastry and gently line your tart tin, pressing the pastry into the edges. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins, then line with baking paper and blind bake for 20 mins.
- Remove baking beans (I use dried chickpeas) and leave to cool.
- Using a food processor, cream butter with caster sugar until light and fluffy, then add ground almonds (I like to grind these myself so you can keep some a bit chunkier, so keep a handful back if you’re doing this to add texture).
- Then add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each before the next so you don’t curdle, then add flour and mix thoroughly, adding the coarser almonds at the end.
- Fill the pastry case with the mixture.
- Then core the pears and cut into quarters, arranging them evenly over the mixture so every slice gets a bit, and bake for 40 mins at 180C/Gas4 until golden and firm to touch.
- Serve with crème fraîche.
