Pear and Frangipane Tart

I made this absolutely yummy pear and frangipane tart a little while ago. I’m not usually a fan of fruit-based puddings, but this was wonderfully sweet, with just the right amount of sharpness. It was the ideal Autumn/ Winter sweet treat. I froze some of mine to make it last longer.

Prep time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 215g plain flour
• 170g unsalted butter (110g frozen for at least 3 hours and coarsely grated, and 60g softened)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 60g caster sugar
• 60g ground almonds
• 60g caster sugar
• 10g plain flour
• 1/16th tsp madagascan vanilla
• 20g plain flour (for dusting)
• 5g icing sugar
• 45ml cold water
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 large / 3 small ripe pears (approximately 275g, unpeeled weight)

You will also need:

• Coarse grater
• 18cm round tin
• Rolling pin
• Butter measure
• 1 x greaseproof circle
• 1 x A4 baking paper

Method:

1. To make the pastry, coarsely grate 110g of frozen butter, and measure out 45ml of cold water. In a large bowl, rub together the plain flour and salt with the grated butter. One tablespoon at a time, add the water until the pastry comes together. Turn the pastry onto a clean surface and knead lightly until a dough forms. Flatten the dough into a disc, approximately 15cm in diameter, and wrap in cling film. Chill for 20 minutes in the fridge, or 10 minutes in the freezer.
2. While the pastry is chilling, make the frangipane. Beat together 60g of softened butter and the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in one egg, and when thoroughly incorporated, add the ground almonds and stir until just combined. Chill until needed.
3. To prepare the pears, peel them, then cut into quarters lengthwise. Remove the core from the pears and slice each pear quarter into 3 or 4 pieces, again, lengthwise. In a bowl, gently toss the pears with the sugar, plain flour and vanilla, until coated. Preheat the oven to 200°c/180°c fan/gas mark 6.
4. To prepare the tin, cut two long, 8cm wide strips from the A4 baking paper. Lightly grease the tin with butter, cross the strips one over the other and top with the greaseproof circle. To prepare the tart case, cut off 1⁄3 of the pastry and return to the fridge to keep cool. Lightly dust the surface with half of the plain flour, lightly knead, and roll out the remaining 2⁄3 of pastry to 3mm thick, and slightly larger than the tin you are using.
5. Transfer the pastry into the tin and gently press it into the base, ensuring the baking paper strips remain visible. Prick the base of the case all over with a fork. Trim the pastry case, leaving a 1cm overhang around the top of the tin. Stir the frangipane, and spoon into the pastry case, spreading to the edges using a small palette knife or the back of a spoon. Leaving any excess liquid in the bowl, lay the pear slices in a spiral on top of the frangipane, working from the edge into the middle.
6. To make the lattice, lightly dust the surface with the remaining plain flour as needed. Take the reserved pastry from Step 4 out of the fridge, knead lightly, roll out and trim down to a 20cm x 20cm square. Cut ten 2cm x 20cm strips. Evenly lay 5 strips of pastry parallel across the tart. Fold back every other strip. Place one long strip down the centre of the tart, perpendicular to the other strips. Unfold the pastry strips over this new strip.
7. Fold back the strips that are now running under the new strip and lay down a second strip, keeping the spacing the same between each. Unfold again and repeat until both sides of the tart are completed. Using a fork, press down firmly around the edges to form a bond between the lattice and the tart. Trim the edges around the tin.
8. Crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk briefly. Lightly egg wash the top of the tart and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Leave the tart to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then use the baking paper strips to help you remove the tart and transfer to a cooling rack. Dust with the icing sugar and enjoy warm or cold with ice-cream or custard.
9. 

This tart can be made with other fruits as well, so if pears are not your thing, feel free to experiment.

Recipe courtesy of BakedIn.