French Pear Tart

This is the perfect tart to eat with your morning tea or as a dessert. I made this for a thanksgiving dinner a couple years ago and a handful of times after that since my mom frequently requests-err demands- this tart whenever I plan on baking. I've changed it a bit from the original recipe to suit my taste. It looks beautiful and elegant while being rustic and is a special treat for company. The frangipane is rich and buttery with a distinct almond taste. Although the original recipe by Dorie calls for poached pears, I've only used fresh pears for the tart and loved it. The pears on top help cut through the richness and sweetness of the almond cream (I try to select tart pears rather than sweet ones). The crust is surprisingly easy for a pastry dough and can be made in the food processor! I still prefer making it by hand as it ends up being more crumbly but I've used the food processor many times on lazy days.

French Pear Tart

2 large pears, cut into 1/2 inch slices (use fresh pears for best results- canned pears do not hold up as well to the rich frangipane)

Almond Cream:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
2 tsp flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract

Put the butter, sugar, and almonds into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix again. Mix in the egg and almond until the mixture is creamy.  Frangipane usually has to be refrigerated for a while but I've made this tart with refrigerated cream and room temperature cream with the same results.

Sweet Tart Dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp salt
9 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients using a fork. Add the egg yolk and continue mixing with fork until just combined. The dough should be loose and crumbly. If using a food processor, add all the ingredients in the same order and pulse until crumbly. Butter your tart pan generously. Press the dough into the pan and freeze for 30 minutes. 

After freezing the tart dough, butter a sheet of foil and press the butter side down on the tart. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5-7 minutes until brown. If the dough has risen or formed a dome in the middle, press down gently while warm. Allow the pastry to cool completely before adding the almond cream. 

Pour the almond cream evenly over the pastry using a spatula to smooth the top. Arrange the sliced pears on top of the cream, being careful not to push down. The frangipane rises around the pears when baking. Bake the tart at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the frangipane browns.

recipe slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's recipe