Pear-Almond Tart
The filling for this Pear-Almond Tart is a smooth and delicious almond cream known as a Frangipane. It is often used as a filling for pastries like puff pastry and in tarts with fresh fruit. In Provence, I make the creamy filling with pistachios instead of almonds and I use fresh apricots in place of the pears. Any nut can be used in the filling and fresh fruit can range from apples and cherries to plums and fresh raspberries.
This tart has 3 main components: a sweet pastry crust (watch the video below), an almond “Frangipane” filling and poached pears. Strain the leftover pear poaching liquid and cool it down. I pour it into a ziplock freezer bag. It can be kept in the freezer for a few months and be used to poach any fruit.
TOOL TIP:
This 11-inch scalloped tart pan made by Wilton has a non-stick surface and is perfect for making any variety of tart or quiche.
Pear-Almond Tart
Course: DessertCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium8
servings40
minutes45
minutesThe flavorful poaching liquid used for the pears can be strained and frozen for future use.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons soft butter
1 batch Sweet Pastry Dough (recipe below)
1 lemon
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick cinnamon bark
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup orange juice
3 firm/ripe Bosc pears
Almond Filling (recipe below)
- Sweet Pastry Dough
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 Tablespoons ice water
- Almond Filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup ground, blanched almonds (or almond flour)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions
- Brush an 11-inch scalloped tart pan (with removable bottom and 1-inch sides) with butter.
- Dust the counter with flour and roll out the dough into a circle large enough to cover the tart pan and reach up the sides. Invert dough onto tart pan and form dough into the pan, evenly distributing the dough to form a 1/8-inch crust across the bottom and up the sides. Freeze the dough shell for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
- Remove the tart shell from the freezer, line it with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw dry beans.
- Bake shell in the middle of the preheated oven until sides are firm enough to hold their shape, 15 to 20 minutes, and carefully remove parchment paper and weights or beans.
- With a vegetable peeler, remove strips of the yellow outer zest from the lemon. Juice the lemon. Place the lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan with the corn syrup, sugar, cinnamon stick, white wine and orange juice. Bring to a boil and reduce the poaching liquid to a simmer.
- Peel the pears, cut in half and core with a melon baller. Poach the pears for 15 minutes or until tender. Remove and let cool slightly.
- Spread the almond filling evenly into the baked tart shell.
- Slice the pears into 1/8-inch thick slices, keeping them together. Gently fan the pears and place them decoratively onto the almond filling.
- Bake the tarts in the middle of the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the filling is puffed up and golden. Cool, slice and serve.
- Sweet Pastry Dough
- Mix together the flour, sugar and salt.
- Add the butter, and gently work into the dough until the butter is reduced to the size of rolled oats.
- Add the egg yolk and water and mix until just combined.
- Almond Filling
- Mix together the butter and the sugar.
- Add the ground almonds and mix well.
- Add the eggs and extracts and mix to combine.
- Add the flour and salt and combine until smooth.
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