Pear & Frangipane Tart
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Rich Shortcrust Pastry
255g plain flour
A pinch of salt
150g butter (very cold & cubed)
2 egg yolks (beaten)
1tbsp very cold water
Pear & Frangipane Filling
175g unsalted butter (soft)
175g caster sugar
3 eggs (beaten)
175g ground almonds
50g plain flour
1tsp almond extract
1tbsp Disaronno (optional)
6–8 fresh pears (peeled, cored & halved)
1tbsp apricot jam (melted for glaze)
25g flaked almonds (toasted)
Sift the flour with the salt into a large bowl. Then rub the butter into the flour with cold fingertips or a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Mix the egg yolks with 1tbsp of very cold water and gradually add to the flour and butter mixture. Either using a knife or a food processor mix to a firm dough (it may be necessary to add more water, but the pastry should not be too damp nor too dry and crumbly).
Form the pastry into a smooth flat cake, take care not to over knead, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 1 hour/freezer for 30 minutes. The pastry can also be frozen at this stage if you wish to make the pastry on another day.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C /Gas 4.
For the frangipane filling, cream the butter and sugar together, then gradually add the beaten eggs one at a time, it may look curdled but that’s fine. Add the ground almonds, flour, almond extract and Disaronno, if using, and mix until well incorporated. Leave this mixture in the fridge until required.
Grease a 28cm loose bottom tin with butter. Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a pound coin thickness (2.8mm) and line carefully into the tin.
Now blind bake the pastry, line with baking parchment on top of the pastry and fill with baking beans or old beans you may have around to weigh the paper down. Cook on the floor of the oven/hot plain sheet for 10-12 minutes (until the pastry has coloured slightly and you can scratch slight crumbs from the bottom – sometimes I take out the beans and paper for the last 5 minutes to brown the bottom).
Meanwhile, prepare the pears and slice the halves so that they can feather/splay out. Spoon the frangipane filling into the blind baked pastry case. Arrange the pear halves attractively on the filling. Don’t overfill with frangipane, leave space for it to rise.
Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Cool slightly, brush with the hot apricot glaze and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds. Serve warm with ice cream or crème fraîche.
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Recipe inspired by Mary Berry
