Mary Berry's Pear Frangipane Tart

 

I've been spending the late summer months working in local orchards in Kent, the Garden of England, which has been terrific fun, but the main downsides are:  becoming a fruit snob, wishing you could eat everything and making too many puddings!  Some people wouldn't reckon that to be a down side... 

Mary Berry, the ever-trusted, came up with a beautifully simple recipe for a Pear Frangipane Tart.  She got me at the point where she says "make the filling in the unwashed processor".  Now, who wouldn't love somebody like that???  I cheated on her recipe a bit (sorry, Mary), as I used a gluten free pastry blend and didn't add sugar to the mix.   I've also scaled it down 1/3, as hers was enough for 12.  This recipe is great because you don't need to poach the pears, nor do you have to bake the pastry case beforehand.  However, to avoid the famous "soggy bottom" you need a very hot baking sheet to sit the tart case on.  

Mary Berry's Pear Frangipane Tart 

Pear Frangipane Tart
 
Pastry:
8oz/225g plain flour (or a gluten free blend)
4oz/110g cold butter
(1oz/25g icing sugar – I didn’t use this)
1 egg
 
Frangipane:
4oz/110g butter
4oz/110g caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4oz/110g ground almonds
1oz/25g plain flour (or a blend)
2/3 tsp almond flavouring
3 large (4 small) ripe pears, peeled, cored and quartered (Mary halves hers)
 
To finish:
Apricot jam, melted and sieved, to glaze (marmalade works too)
1oz/25g toasted flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 190 deg, putting a baking sheet in to heat.  Make the pastry (put all dry ingredients into a processor, add the egg, pulse until it starts to make a large ball).  Pat the dough into a cake and rest it in the fridge for 15 mins (confession – I didn’t bother).   Roll out the pastry on a floured worktop (or lightly floured baking parchment), put it into a 9”/23cm case.  Prick the base with a fork.  You could chill this if you wanted to, while you were making the mixture. 

So, take the famous unwashed processor.   Cream the butter and sugar, then add the beaten eggs.  You will have to scrape the mixture off the sides every now and again.  Add the ground almonds, flour and almond extract.  Process a bit more.  

Spread the frangipane mixture in the tart and then add the pears, pressing gently down.  Leave room in between for the filling to rise up.  Put in the oven on the baking sheet for about 40-50 minutes until it is golden brown and the filling is set.   I’d check if I were you – mine didn’t take as long.  

Warm the jam/glaze until it is really liquid and brush it over the tart while it is hot.   Sprinkle over the almonds.   Eat warm, with crème fraiche, yoghurt or lashings of home made custard.