Pear and Frangipane Tart
Light and flaky shortcrust pastry, filled with delicious frangipane and poached pears.
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 225 g plain flour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 120 g unsalted butter chilled and diced
- 2 tbsp ice-cold water
- 1 pinch of salt
Poached Pears:
- 150 g caster sugar
- 1 lemon
- 2 conference or bosc pears
Frangipane:
- 100 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 100 g caster sugar
- 100 g ground almonds
- 2 large eggs
Decoration:
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- 2 tbsp clear apricot jam
Instructions
- For the pastry: Mix together the flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl and then add the diced butter. Rub this in with your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just starts coming together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and lightly knead until it forms a uniform dough. Press into a flat round, wrap in cling film and put into the fridge for at least 1 hour before using.
- For the pears: Pour 500ml water and the caster sugar into a medium pan. Then, using a sharp knife cut off three strips of lemon zest and add to the pan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over a medium heat, whilst squeezing the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl. Peel, halve and core the pears, putting them into the bowl of lemon juice as you work to prevent them from browning. Add the pears and lemon juice to the pan and poach for 15-20 minutes until tender. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside while you prepare the tart.
- For the frangipane: Beat the sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding the next. Finally, add the ground almonds and mix to combine. Cover the bowl in cling film and set aside until needed.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface into a rectangle about 2-3mm thick. Use this to line a 35x11cm loose-based tart tin, then transfer the tart shell to the fridge for 30 minutes or until firm. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven/gas mark 4.
- Line the pastry with a sheet of baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the beans and baking paper and bake for a further 5 minutes until the pastry is a pale golden brown colour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
- To assemble: Fill with the frangipane, spreading into an even layer. Press the pears into the frangipane, cut side down, and sprinkle the tart with the flaked almonds. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the frangipane is golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. While cooling, put the apricot jam into a small pan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and, while still hot, brush over the tart.
Notes
Tart is best served the same day, but will keep 1-2 days in an air-tight container.