The frangipane tart is super versatile. It goes well with many types of seasonal fruit and this one, made with poached pears, is a delicate holiday season version. On its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top, it is indulgent and fresh at the same time! Enjoy with a cup of tea, earl grey or Darjeeling.
Recipe
How much time do you need?
- Preparation time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Cooking time: 1 hr 20 minutes
- Total time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Tools and equipement:
- Tart/pie mold 25-28cm
- Spatula
- Mixer
- Medium and small bowls
- Rolling pin
- Ceramic pearls or baking weights
- Baking paper
- Kitchen scale
- Food processor (not essential)
Ingredients:
For the tart case:
- 110 g unsalted butter at room temperature - 200 g plain flour - 2 tablespoons icing sugar - 2 egg yolks - 2 to 3 tablespoon cold milk
Tip: Do you have any frozen tart/pie case? You can use it! If you don’t have any, here goes the recipe! You can use this recipe for sweet or savoury, it’s super flexible. I have used the same tart shell to prepare a mushrooms and blue cheese quiche. Scrumptious!
For the frangipane filling: - 1/2 cup white sugar - 100 g unsalted butter at room temperature - 2 large eggs - 1 cup sifted almond meal (almond flour) - 1/4 cup plain flour
- 1/3 cup apricot or peaches jam
- 2 tablespoons flaked / sliced almonds
For the poached pears:
- 3 medium to big pears
- ½ stick of cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- 5 cups of water
- 100 grs white sugar
Method:
Prepare the poached pears:
It is recommended you start preparing the poached pears before the tart and the frangipane filling as the pears have to cool in their poaching liquid.
Peel the pears and lightly brush with lemon so they do not oxidize. Bring water and sugar to boil in a big sauce pan. Once it has started boiling, add the cinnamon and start anise and the pears. The liquid must cover the pears. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Use a think sharp knife to test if they are tender. Do not over cook them as they will continue cooking while they cool down. Remove from heat after 10-12 minutes and let it cool down for 2-3 hours. It’s better if you prepare this in advance and reserve in the fridge for 1 day. If you are preparing it the same day, make sure the pears cool down to room temperature before using them for your frangipane tart.
Prepare the tart base:
Combine flour and icing sugar in a food processor, add the butter and process for about 15 seconds until the mixture looks clotty. Add the egg yolks and, with the processor running on the lowest setting, start pouring in the milk. Only use as much milk as you need for it to start clumping (see picture of the food processor with the dough). If you don’t have a food processor, use a spatula and your hands.
Place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and using a rolling pin stretch into a 10-15 cm disk. Wrap it in the baking paper and place it in the fridge for at least half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan forced. Remove the dough from the fridge. Slightly dust some flour on a work surface or a silicone baking mat and place the cold dough on top, then dust the top of the dough with a little flour too. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to a 25-28 cm circle about 4-5mm thick. Dust extra flour on top, place the rolling pin at the start of the circle and then wrap the rolling pin with the disk pastry. Transfer and unroll it over the fluted tart/pie mold. Gently press the pastry to fill the tart mold. Trip the edges and pick the based about 8-10 times using a fork. Place a sheet of baking paper on top and add the ceramic pearls or baking weights (beans, rice). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and baking weights and bake for a further 10 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let it cool for 15-20 minutes.
Prepare the frangipane filling: Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each. Sift over the flour, then add the almond meal and integrate using a spatula, until just combined. Do not over mix it.
Once the tart shell has cooled down, spread the apricot jam over the base. Dollop the frangipane filling all over the top and then spread it out level all the way round using a spatula.
Drain the pears and gentle remove the excess of water with a kitchen towel. Cut the pears in halves making sure the knife cuts 0.5 away from the centre so you don’t get seeds or fibres from the core. Slice the halves crosswise with a sharp knife, each slice should be around 2-3 ml. Use the knife to lift all the slices together and place on top of the frangipane tart, with the narrow end close to the edge of the tart. The tip of the pear should finish in the centre of the tart. Gentle press the slices so as to shape a wave. Repeat 5 to 6 times, depending on the size of your tart, with the remaining pear halves.
Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the frangipane filling, but not over pears.
Bake at 170 degrees Celcius for 50-60 minutes until nicely golden on top and cooked in centre and there is no remaining liquid from the pears. Let it cool down for at least 40 minutes before slicing it.
Tip: a very thin layer of sugar syrup or honey on top of the pears will add a nice shiny touch to the tart.
Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or slice in small portions and freeze it for up to 6 months.
Frozen frangipane tart? Remove from the fridge and let it thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours, or one day in the fridge.
Tip: The frangipane tart is super versatile and you can fill it with any type of seasonal fruit you like and even mix of fruits. Apricots, peaches, berries, pear, prunes.
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