Pear and Almond Tart

Categories:

You know how chocolate and strawberries are the perfect pair? Well there's another duo that deserves to be under the spotlight: pear and almond. Elegant, pretty and delicious with a rich and creamy almond frangipane filling topped with poached pears, this beautiful tart is just what you need for any special occasion.

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

45 to 55 minutes

carousel

Servings

For the pears:

3 large sized pears (bosc), peeled, cored, quartered 3 large sized pears (bosc), peeled, cored, quartered
3 cups (720 ml) water 3 cups (720 ml) water
1 ½ cups (300 g) Redpath® Granulated Sugar 1 ½ cups (300 g) Redpath® Granulated Sugar
2 tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup 2 tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup
1 vanilla bean, scraped 1 vanilla bean, scraped
6 fresh ginger slices 6 fresh ginger slices
4 strips of orange peel 4 strips of orange peel
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

For the crust:

1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (90 g) Redpath ® Icing Sugar ¾ cup (90 g) Redpath ® Icing Sugar
½ cup (87 g) whole almonds, raw ½ cup (87 g) whole almonds, raw
¼ cup (24 g) almond flour ¼ cup (24 g) almond flour
½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt ½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt
¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 large egg 1 large egg
1 large egg yolk 1 large egg yolk
½ tsp (3 ml) almond extract ½ tsp (3 ml) almond extract
½ tsp (3 ml) vanilla extract ½ tsp (3 ml) vanilla extract

For the almond frangipane:

½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
7 tbsp (84 g) Redpath ® Dark Brown sugar, packed 7 tbsp (84 g) Redpath ® Dark Brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup 1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup
1 large egg 1 large egg
2 tsp (2 g) orange zest 2 tsp (2 g) orange zest
1 tbsp (15 ml) almond liqueur or rum 1 tbsp (15 ml) almond liqueur or rum
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
½ tsp (1 g) ground ginger ½ tsp (1 g) ground ginger
1 cup + 2 tbsp (108 g) almond flour 1 cup + 2 tbsp (108 g) almond flour
2 tbsp (16 g) whole wheat flour 2 tbsp (16 g) whole wheat flour
¼ tsp (1 g) fine sea salt ¼ tsp (1 g) fine sea salt

Instructions

For the pears:

Step 1

Cut stems off of the pears. Peel pears and slice in half. Core pears. Slice halves in half.

Step 2

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring water, Redpath® Granulated Sugar, maple syrup, half a vanilla bean (seeds scraped, pod included), ginger, orange peel, and cinnamon stick to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer and stir to dissolve sugar.

Step 3

Slide the quartered pears into the simmering poaching liquid. Place a round of parchment, the size of the pot, over the pears to help pears stay under the syrup while cooking. On low heat, simmer the pears for 10 to 12 minutes or until a skewer can pierce the flesh with some give. Do not overcook as the pears will fall apart when sliced. Take off heat. Allow pears to cool in the syrup; about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the almond crust.

For the crust:

Step 1

Prepare a 9 ½ x 1 inch (24 x 2.5 centimeters) tart shell (with a removable bottom), by spraying or greasing the bottom of the tart shell and lining the bottom with a round of parchment. Set aside.

Step 2

In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, Redpath ® Icing Sugar, whole almonds, almond flour, and salt. Pulse until the whole almonds are finely ground, and the mixture is well blended.

Step 3

Add cold, cubed butter. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg, egg yolk, and extracts. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until dough just starts to come together; it will have pea-sized dough lumps scattered throughout.

Step 4

Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and bring dough together with hands. Form into a disc and wrap with the plastic wrap. Place into the fridge to chill and rest for at least 30 minutes, or until the dough is firm but still pliable.

Step 5

Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to approximately a ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness. Gently peel away one sheet of parchment. Holding the parchment taut, quickly flip the rolled out dough over the prepared tart shell. Gently, using the parchment to help, ease the dough into the shell, pushing against the sides and bottom of the pan. Carefully peel away the parchment paper from the dough. Take off the extra dough from the edges and if any, repair any holes or thin parts with the extra dough. With a fork, dock the entire bottom of the tart shell to prevent shell from puffing up when baking. Place tart shell into the freezer to chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 6

Preheat oven to 425°F (200°C). Transfer chilled tart shell onto a baking sheet and into the preheated oven. Bake for 6 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C). Bake until tart crust is dry and bottom is lightly browned; 10 to 12 minutes. Take out of oven and cool completely.

For the almond frangipane:

Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream softened butter with the Redpath ® Dark Brown Sugar and maple syrup until pale and fluffy; about 3 minutes.

Step 2

Add the egg. Incorporate the egg into the batter before adding the orange zest, almond liqueur, and vanilla extract. Mix until fully incorporated into the batter; about 1 minute.

Step 3

In a medium bowl place almond flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and ginger. Whisk until the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Step 4

Add the dry ingredients to the batter. Start on low speed to keep the ingredients from flying out of the bowl, increase the speed to medium and mix until just combined.

Step 5

Drain pears. Cut the quartered pears in slices, from the stem to the base; about ⅛ to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) thick.

Step 6

Spread frangipane into the partially baked tart shell, filling to just below the edge of the crust. Lay pears in a concentric pattern, starting from the outer edges and working towards the centre. Overlap the pears. Place the next slice (the fatter end), slightly over the “stem ” part of the pear and gently press the bottom edge into the frangipane to raise the upper edges away from the frangipane. Overlap the bottoms of the pears with the next layer, start the next ring in the “v ” part of the first layer. Continue process until the centre of the tart is reached.

Step 7

Place tart onto a baking sheet and into the preheated 350℉ (175℃) oven for 45 to 55 minutes. Bake until the edges of the pears and frangipane is crisp and brown.

Step 8

Take out of oven. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Transfer tart onto a serving plate. Serve warm, as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.