Rustic Pear Frangipane Tart

Rustic Pear Frangipane Tart! Have you ever tried it? Poached pears, almond filling, shortcrust pastry…Hmmm, doesn’t that sound delicious?

It’s rustic because it is nowhere near looking perfect – but that’s the beauty of “being” homemade!

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   PASTRY:
   
   In a large bowl sift the flour and add sugar. Mix with your hand. Throw in cold butter (cut into cubes) and using your hand work the butter into the flour mix until you get crumb-like texture.
   Add the egg yolk and a bit of water. Mix. Add the rest of the water in a few stages, using your hands to mix the ingredients around until you form a ball. Don’t overwork the dough.
   Cover the bowl with cling film and place in your fridge for 30 minutes. You can also wrap the pastry in a cling film and place it in the fridge.
   
   PEARS:
   
   Wash pears and cut them in halves. Peel them and remove seeds and any hard parts.
   In a small sauce pan, combine water, sugar and ground cinnamon. Add the pears and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the pears until soft (10-15 mins).
   Once ready, drain the water and set aside for later.
   
   FRANGIPANE:
   
   In a large bowl, beat the butter with sugar until fluffy. Add ground almonds, flour and beaten eggs. Mix until well combined.
   
   TO MAKE THE TART:
   
   Roll out your pastry – it should be larger than the tin you will be using. Make sure it’s not too thick or too thin. If too thin, it will tear easily. Somewhere between 3-5 mm is good. Place your rolling pin on one side of the rolled pastry. With your hand try to wrap the rolled out pastry around the rolling pin. Lift it up and transfer onto the tart tin (that has been greased and/or lined with baking paper).
   Using your fingertips, press it into the corners of your tin. To avoid tearing, lift the pastry with one hand and then press down into the corner with another one. Trim off the excess pastry using a knife.
   Place in a preheated oven and bake at 180C/350F for 10 minutes.
   Take out, fill with frangipane and top with cooked (and drained) pears.
   Transfer back in the oven and bake for a further 20-25 minutes (or until the filling has set) at the same temperature.
   Once ready, let it cool down before removing from the tin.
   Dust with icing sugar (optional) and serve!
   

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