Vanilla Pear Almond Frangipane Tart

  in Recipes

Recipe from Cheryl Janz

FOR THE CRUST

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, cooled for pan
¾ cup whole blanched almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon almond extract

FOR THE FILLING

3 tablespoons sliced blanched almonds
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

FOR THE PEARS

1 cup dry white wine
3 cups water
¼ cup honey
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped
5 ripe but firm Anjou, Comice, or Bartlett pears

Make Vanilla pears:

  1. Bring wine, water, honey, and vanilla bean seeds and pod to a simmer in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, cut a round of parchment the same diameter as the saucepan.
  3. Peel pears and halve lengthwise. Use a melon baller to scoop out cores, seeds, and stems. Trim fibrous strip from the center with a paring knife. Gently lower pears into pot. Place parchment round directly on pears to keep them submerged. This will help them from turning brown.
  4. Cook them until a paring knife slides easily into the pears without resistance (15 min.+/-) Remove from the heat and let cool in the liquid for 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a large bowl; cover with the cooking liquid and let cool completely.

MAKE THE CRUST:

  1. Brush 1 T. of melted butter into bottom and up sides of an 11 x 8 inch tart pan with a removable bottom
  2. In a food processor combine whole blanched almonds with1 T. sugar, pulse until finely ground
  3. Add flour, remaining 2 T. sugar, salt, and almond extract, and pulse until combined
  4. Press dough evenly into bottom up sides of pan.  Refrigerate or freeze until firm
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake crust until golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

MAKE THE FILLING

  1. Spread sliced almonds in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast in oven, tossing occasionally until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together ½ cup sugar, salt, flour, almond flour, and baking powder. Whisk in eggs and yolk, butter, and milk until well combined. Pour filling into crust.
  3. Blot each pear half lightly with paper towels to remove excess syrup. Arrange halves, cut sides down, over filing, packing fruit closely together (3 rows of 3 pears; reserve remaining half for another use.) Sprinkle tops of pears with remaining sugar, and sprinkle toasted almonds over tart.
  4. Transfer tart to a rimmed baking sheet (if you place parchment paper on the baking sheet it will collect juices that cook out of the tart and it keeps the pan clean)
  5. Bake until filling is puffed and golden brown, about 50 min+/-. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Unmold just before serving.