Frangipane Pear Tart Recipes

PEAR AND FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Make the pastry. Tip the flour onto a work surface. Cut the butter into cubes and dot over the flour. Sprinkle with the caster sugar. Using your fingertips, rub the butter, flour and sugar together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre, add the egg yolks and, using your fingers, gradually draw in the flour. Knead lightly, until it comes together in a smooth ball - you might need to add 1 teaspoon cold water if the dough is very crumbly. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. (Angela Hartnett's tip: I make the pastry on a floured work surface in the traditional Italian way, but feel free to do it in a bowl if you prefer.)
• Make the frangipane filling. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, then fold in the ground almonds and flour. Mix well and chill until needed.
• Make the poached pears. Put the sugar in a saucepan, pour in 500ml water and place over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Peel the pears and add to the pan, along with the cinnamon and cloves. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the pan and add the squeezed lemon and orange zest. Split the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the seeds and add to the pan with the pod. Add some more water to just cover the pears.
• Cut out a circle of baking paper large enough to fit inside the pan, and lay on top of the pears. Weigh down with a saucer or small saucepan lid so that the pears stay submerged in the poaching liquor. Simmer for 20 minutes, then remove the pears to a plate with a slotted spoon and discard the liquor and solids. Set aside for 15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. (Angel Hartnett's tip: Don't overcook the pears - a knife should just pierce them easily. Remember - they will continue to cook in the oven.)
• Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a circle large enough to line the tart tin. Don't worry if it breaks up, as this is a very short, crumbly pastry - you can just patch it together in the tin and mould it up the sides, making sure it is even all over. Trim off any excess pastry and spread the frangipane evenly on top.
• Cut the pears in half lengthways and, using a teaspoon, scoop out and discard the core from the centre. Cut each pear half in slices, widthways, then lift onto your knife and push down on the pears slightly to fan them out. Lift into the pastry case and arrange in a circle. Fill in the gaps between each pear half with a few more slices and arrange some in the centre. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is golden and the filling is set. Sprinkle with the extra 2 teaspoons caster sugar and bake in the oven for a further 15 minutes to finish off the browning. Cool in the tin slightly, then remove and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of crème fraîche.

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.

FRANGIPANE PEAR TART

Steps:

• Combine water, 1 cup white sugar, honey, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and cardamom in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add pears; reduce heat and simmer until pears are translucent or easily pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter until mixture is crumbly. Mix in egg yolk until dough sticks together in large clumps.
• Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough evenly into the pan. Freeze for 30 minutes. Reserve leftover dough for patching cracks.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Grease the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil with butter; place butter-side down over the pastry. Transfer tart pan to a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven, using leftover dough to patch any cracks, until dough looks dry and light brown, about 20 minutes. Peel off aluminum foil; let pastry cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine 2/3 cup white sugar and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in ground almonds. Add egg, egg yolk, 2 teaspoons flour, and cornstarch; beat until frangipane is smooth. Beat in almond extract and vanilla extract.
• Spread frangipane evenly over the pastry. Drain pear halves and dry with paper towels. Cut lengthwise into even slices. Place 1 pear half on a spatula and gently fan out slices. Place on frangipane. Repeat with remaining pear halves.
• Bake in the preheated oven until frangipane is firm to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

PEAR FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Prepare tart shell using this homemade or Hot Water Pastry recipe.
• In a food processor, crumble the almond paste and add powdered sugar and butter; process until mixed and smooth.
• Add eggs, cover, and process again until smooth.
• Pour the almond mixture into the prepared tart shell.
• Now prepare the pears; peel, core, and slice them into 1/2-inch slices.
• Arrange the pear slices over the almond filling on their sides, making a circular pattern, pressing into the almond mixture slightly.
• Sprinkle the pears with the lemon juice, then with the sugar.
• Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes or until almond filling is set and the pears are light brown and glazed.
• Remove the tart from the oven and place it on a wire rack.
• In a small saucepan, heat the jelly until liquid and smooth, stirring frequently; carefully brush over the pears.
• Let the tart cool, then serve.

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.

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.