Drunken Pear Frangipane Tart Recipes

FRANGIPANE PEAR TART

Steps:

• Combine water, 1 cup white sugar, honey, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and cardamom in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add pears; reduce heat and simmer until pears are translucent or easily pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter until mixture is crumbly. Mix in egg yolk until dough sticks together in large clumps.
• Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough evenly into the pan. Freeze for 30 minutes. Reserve leftover dough for patching cracks.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Grease the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil with butter; place butter-side down over the pastry. Transfer tart pan to a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven, using leftover dough to patch any cracks, until dough looks dry and light brown, about 20 minutes. Peel off aluminum foil; let pastry cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine 2/3 cup white sugar and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in ground almonds. Add egg, egg yolk, 2 teaspoons flour, and cornstarch; beat until frangipane is smooth. Beat in almond extract and vanilla extract.
• Spread frangipane evenly over the pastry. Drain pear halves and dry with paper towels. Cut lengthwise into even slices. Place 1 pear half on a spatula and gently fan out slices. Place on frangipane. Repeat with remaining pear halves.
• Bake in the preheated oven until frangipane is firm to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• 1. For the crust: Pulse together the ground almonds, confectioners' sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the dough just begins to come together, but is not sticky or wet, about 10 pulses. Remove the blade and turn the dough out into a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Carefully press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• 2. For the filling: Separate the eggs and whip the whites until they just hold stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a time and mix until smooth. Stir in the almonds and melted chocolate. Gently fold in the egg whites. Spoon into the chilled crust.
• 3. Bake until the chocolate just starts to set, 15 minutes. Press the figs gently into the filling in a circle around the tart and continue baking until slightly puffed and set throughout, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool. Cut and serve with creme fraiche, if desired.

HAZELNUT FRANGIPANE PEAR TART

Steps:

• Cut the cold dough in pieces and reknead into a disc. On a floured table, press the disc, evening the circle as you go, until it is about 6 inches in diameter. Flour the surface of the dough and roll in into a circle measuring about 1 1/2 inches bigger than the 9-inch tart mold. Flour as much as you need to prevent the dough from sticking. Brush off any excess flour, fold the dough in half and center it over the mold. Press along the bottom edge and side to even it. Press any excess dough from the bottom edge up the sides so that they are thicker. Cut off any excess dough with a rolling pin and press the sides up so it extends about 1/8-inch above the rim. Dock the bottom with a fork and freeze.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the frozen tart shell until the center barely begins to color, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely.
• Lower oven to 350 degrees. Combine the nuts and confectioner's sugar in a food processor and process to a fine powder, about 30 seconds. In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the nut powder and mix thoroughly, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Add the egg in three parts, beating after each addition on medium high speed, until very light and fluffy. Add the almond and vanilla extracts. On low speed, mix in the flour just until incorporated.
• Spread the jam on the bottom of the prebaked shell and then spread evenly with the frangipane. Slice the pears in half and core. Cut each half in very thin slices from blossom to stem, leaving them attached at the stem end. Cut off the end pieces and cut each half in quarters. Fan out each quarter and arrange the 6 fans in a circle over the frangipane, stems to the center. Be sure to leave some space between the fans so the filling can rise up around them. Brush the pears lightly with melted butter. Bake about 50 to 55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crusty. If the rim is getting too dark, cover the edge with foil or pie guards. Cool in the mold on a rack; remove the outer ring after 10 minutes. Slip a flexible metal palate knife between the tart and the metal bottom and slide off the tart. Cool completely on a rack before serving. Cut with a sharp serrated knife.