Pear Frangipane Tart

I could literally smell this pear tart the moment I saw the picture and the recipe on another blog. It gave me an elegant and flavourful feel of autumn, so there was no chance I could remain indifferent. To be honest, I think it's one of the best pear combinations and the frangipane will only enhance the aroma and the texture.

It's not a super quick recipe, but it's pretty easy - you only need to be organized and follow the instructions in the steps below. This pear frangipane tart can even be served at a festive meal as a cake - it will be outstanding and remarkably tasty.

Don't be scared of frangipane, it's a new thing even for me and I will certainly use it in other recipes. It's a lot easier to prepare than vanilla cream, but you will need almond flour - you can buy it and grind it by yourself with a coffee grinder. You can also use other nut flours. Yes, almond flour is the perfect choice here, but it's not irreplaceable, you can grind any nuts/peanuts you have and it will still be good.

Ingredients
Pears
2 pieces
I recommend using hard, firm pears
Butter
250 g
White flour
200 g
Almond flour
150 g
Powdered sugar
250 g
Sugar
50 g
Egg
3 pieces
Lemon
1 piece
Cinnamon sticks
1 piece
Star anise
2 pieces
Step by step
Step 1

The first step is marinating the pears in a flavoured syrup - at least 2-3 hours before preparing the tart: 

-In a small pot mix together 100 ml water, 50g sugar, the juice from one lemon, a cinnamon stick and 2 star anise pods.

-Place over heat, stir occasionally and boil the syrup for 5 minutes. Then let cool for half an hour.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 1
Step 2

- Peel and core the pears, cut into thin slices and place in a small bowl.

- Pour the warm syrup we prepared at step 1 over the pears and marinate for at least 2-3 hours.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 2
Step 3

The next step - we make the frangipane filling, I recommend starting it when you are ready to prepare the tart and the pears are marinated in advance.

So:

-In a bowl, whisk together 150g softened butter (room temperature) and 150g powdered sugar.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 3
Step 4

- Add 2 eggs, mix using a whisk.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 4
Step 5

- Now stir in 150g almond flour and 4-5 tbsp all-purpose flour (or 50g).

Optionally, you can add in 0.5 tbsp Amaretto liqueur, I didn't.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 5
Step 6

The frangipane filling is ready, notice there's no need to boil/cook anything, all the ingredients are raw and yet, the filling is so soft and smooth.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 6
Step 7

As soon as the filling is ready, start preparing the tart dough.

In a bowl, mix together 100g powdered sugar and 150g flour. Add 100g cold butter, diced. Stir the mixture until crumbly.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 7
Step 8

Stir in 1 egg and continue to knead with your hands until the flour has been incorporated completely.

You may need to add 1-2 tbsp cold water, if the dough is too dry, or a little more flour, if it's too soft and runny.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 8
Step 9

Normally, you should get a soft, nonsticky, play-doh like mixture that can be easily shaped.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 9
Step 10

Roll the dough out with the rolling pin, then carefully transfer to the tart pan. Use your fingers to push in dough and shape the tart - make sure you have 2-3cm left over the sides. This dough is tender, so be gentle.

I used here a 28cm in diameter tart pan, with a removable bottom, lined with parchment paper.

You can, of course, use a classic tart pan, without a removable bottom.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 10
Step 11

Spread the frangipane filling over the tart dough into an even layer, using a spoon.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 11
Step 12

Then arrange the savoury pear slices, gently press each one into the frangipane.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 12
Step 13

I always leave slightly higher borders at first, and, after I've filled the tart, I gently push down the dough and bring it back to the same level as the tart.

This way, my tart will have a perfect shape, I recommend using this tip for any tart recipe.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 13
Step 14

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C, until golden brown.

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 14
Step 15

After you remove from the oven, let cool for at least 1 hour. Then carefully remove the bottom, slice and taste - it's phenomenally delicious.

Enjoy!

Pear Frangipane Tart - Step 15
Quantity: 10 serv (8-10 servings)
Prep time:
120 min
Difficulty: intermediate
Ready in: 240 min