Rustic Pear Frangipane Tart – Recipe!

Baking on the weekend is one of my favorite things and this Rustic Pear Frangipane Tart is loaded with juicy fruit, a French almond pastry cream, and a buttery crust — so delicious after dinner or for brunch with friends.

Tarts are one of those desserts that require a few simple steps to create and are worth the effort.  For starters, a dough that’s made with good butter and flour is necessary and placed to chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator to rest.  The frangipane filling is something that’s made in a food processor with almonds, sugar, eggs and butter — then pureed until creamy smooth.  I used sliced almonds instead of blanched to add texture and a bit more nutty taste.

The pears in this tart are bosc,  The skin is darker in color, and thin enough to eat – so I left the skins on for a rustic look.  Some pear tarts require blanching or poaching pears first, but if you slice them thin and cook the tart in a hot oven, you can illiminate this step, as I did. I love to enjoy a slice with a warm cup of tea in the afternoon, but it’s delightful served slightly chilled or room temperature anytime of the day.

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

6 tablespoon cold butter, diced

2/3 cup ice cold water

Frangipane Filling

8 ounce sliced almonds

1 cup granulated sugar

1 yolk + 1 egg

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pears

8 bosc pears. sliced crosswise – 1/4 inch thick

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

(Serves 6-8)

To Prepare:

1. To make the Crust, add all ingredients except water to stand mixer, and mix on low speed for 2 minutes.  When mixture is coarse crumbs, slowly drizzle in water until dough just begins to come together.  Remove and form into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes, up to overnight.
2. In a food processor add all Frangipane ingredients and puree until mostly smooth.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Roll dough out into a large circle,  3 inches larger than tart pan.  Place in pan and press up sides and bottom.  Prick with a fork all over sides and bottom, place in freezer for 10 minutes.
4. Spoon Frangipane into bottom of crust and smooth out evenly.  Place sliced pear on top of Frangipane and press to fan out slightly.  Repeat with 3 more pears.  Using half of a pear, fill in remaining spots on tart, press to fan out.  Repeat until pears mostly cover completely (see video).
5. Sprinkle top with sugar and bake for 40-45 minutes until frangipane is puffed and golden brown and pears are soft and tender.  Remove and let cool to room temperature before removing ring and slicing.  Enjoy!