Almond Pear Tart

Almond pear tart with Frangipane filling is a classic French dessert. Although this tart doesn’t have a very vibrant color to it, the flavor makes up for it all. The baked ripe pears and flavorful almond Frangipane combined with the buttery crust makes such a wonderful combination! The Frangipane filling is so tasty I can even eat it by itself. This is the perfect dish to make since pears are in season right now. 🙂 Jut make sure your pears are nice and ripe. That way you won’t have to poach them. Did I mention this is also a great dessert to make ahead too? Perfect for when you have guests coming! Hope you all enjoy this recipe 🙂

 

For crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) cut into pieces
4 oz cream cheese, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
10 inch tart pan with removable bottom

For almond cream filling and pears:
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp rum
1 egg
1 3/4 cup almond flour
3 ripe Williams pears
2 tbsp lemon juice

For glaze:
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients for the dough; flour, powdered sugar, and baking powder.

2. Then add in the pieces of cream cheese and mash into the flour using a fork or dough cutter, or even your hands.

  

3. Once the cream cheese is well incorporated, add the pieces of butter and mix it in well.

4. In a small prep bowl, combine 1 egg with 1/2 tsp of vanilla.

  

5. Pour the egg and vanilla mixture into the dough and mix to combine. Form the dough into a disk like shape, cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

    

6. Meanwhile combine 3/4 cups butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a hand held mixer.

  

7. Then add the vanilla, egg, and rum. Blend to combine.

  

8. Combine the almond flour with 1 tsp  cornstarch. Add it to the egg and butter mixture and blend until combined.

    

9. Roll the dough out into 13 inches in diameter. You will need it to be a little bigger than the pan.

10. Transfer the dough to the 10 inch tart pan and pierce it with a fork about 20-30 times.

11. Fill the pan with pie weight to prevent the dough from bubbling in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

  

12. Peel each pear and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and place into a bowl. Add the lemon juice immediately, and a toss just to incorporate. The acid in the lemon juice will prevent the pears from browning.

  

13. Once the tart has baked and cooled, fill it with the almond cream.

14. Slice the pears and slide an angled cake spatula under each pear. using the palm of your hand gently press the sliced pears so they fan out towards the stem of the pear. But you still want them to overlap each other fairly closely.

    

15. Transfer the pears into to the almond cream filled tart. Lay them in such a way that the core side of the pear is facing the center of the tart.

16. Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Then add the butter and lemon juice. Let it simmer for 5-6 minutes until it begins to thicken. This will be the glaze.

  

17. Using a pastry brush, spread the glaze over each pear. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.

  

Notes: Let the tart cool before eating.