Drunken Pear Frangipane Tart Recipes

DRUNKEN PEAR FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Roll piecrust to increase the circumference enough to fit the tart pan. Place piecrust into a removable bottom tart pan and set aside in refrigerator.
• Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together, whip until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ground almonds, rum, egg, almond extract and flour; beat until smooth. This is the frangipane. Spread evenly into the chilled tart shell, and refrigerate.
• Combine raspberry lager, sugar, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla bean in a 6-quart stockpot. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add peeled pears, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered until pears are tender when pierced, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove cooled poached pears from liquid, and halve each lengthwise; removing core and stem. Place each half, cut side down, on a cutting board, and cut crosswise into thin slices. Arrange the fanned pear slices on chilled frangipane evenly. Bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes or until the shell is golden brown and frangipane is puffed and brown.
• In a saucepan, melt the apricot jam and brush the top of the tart with a pastry brush as soon as it comes out of the oven. Cool the tart to room temperature before slicing.
• When arranging the pears, try to stretch slices toward the center of the tart, which will elongate the pears a bit and fill the shell better than if the pears were just placed flat.

HAZELNUT FRANGIPANE PEAR TART

Steps:

• Cut the cold dough in pieces and reknead into a disc. On a floured table, press the disc, evening the circle as you go, until it is about 6 inches in diameter. Flour the surface of the dough and roll in into a circle measuring about 1 1/2 inches bigger than the 9-inch tart mold. Flour as much as you need to prevent the dough from sticking. Brush off any excess flour, fold the dough in half and center it over the mold. Press along the bottom edge and side to even it. Press any excess dough from the bottom edge up the sides so that they are thicker. Cut off any excess dough with a rolling pin and press the sides up so it extends about 1/8-inch above the rim. Dock the bottom with a fork and freeze.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the frozen tart shell until the center barely begins to color, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely.
• Lower oven to 350 degrees. Combine the nuts and confectioner's sugar in a food processor and process to a fine powder, about 30 seconds. In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the nut powder and mix thoroughly, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Add the egg in three parts, beating after each addition on medium high speed, until very light and fluffy. Add the almond and vanilla extracts. On low speed, mix in the flour just until incorporated.
• Spread the jam on the bottom of the prebaked shell and then spread evenly with the frangipane. Slice the pears in half and core. Cut each half in very thin slices from blossom to stem, leaving them attached at the stem end. Cut off the end pieces and cut each half in quarters. Fan out each quarter and arrange the 6 fans in a circle over the frangipane, stems to the center. Be sure to leave some space between the fans so the filling can rise up around them. Brush the pears lightly with melted butter. Bake about 50 to 55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crusty. If the rim is getting too dark, cover the edge with foil or pie guards. Cool in the mold on a rack; remove the outer ring after 10 minutes. Slip a flexible metal palate knife between the tart and the metal bottom and slide off the tart. Cool completely on a rack before serving. Cut with a sharp serrated knife.

PEAR AND HAZELNUT FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pulse hazelnuts with 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground, then add flour and pulse to combine.
• Beat together butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. Reduce speed to low and mix in nut mixture until just combined.
• Spread frangipane filling evenly in tart shell. Peel, halve, and core pears, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, holding slices together to keep pear shape intact. Arrange pears decoratively on filling, fanning slices slightly. Bake until pears are golden and frangipane is puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Brush pears (not filling) with preserves and cool tart completely in pan on rack, then remove side of pan.

PEAR FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and fold over to make a double-thick edge. Roll rolling pin over edge of tart pan to trim dough, and pierce bottom of dough all over with a fork. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, ground almonds, rum, almond extract, and flour; beat until smooth. Spread the thick mixture evenly in chilled tart shell and refrigerate while preparing pears.
• Remove cooled poached pears from poaching liquid and cut in half lengthwise, removing the core and stem. Reserve poaching liquid. Place each half, cut side down, on a cutting board, and cut crosswise into thin slices. Arrange sliced pear halves on frangipane filling around edge of tart, leaving space between each half, and place one half in center of tart. When arranging pears, try to "pull" slices toward center of tart, which will elongate pears a bit and fill the shell better than if the pears were just placed flat. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees, and bake until tart shell is golden brown and frangipane has puffed and browned, 25 to 35 minutes more.
• While tart is baking, bring reserved poaching liquid to a boil and reduce by half. Brush this glaze lightly over pears immediately after removing tart from oven. Serve at room temperature.