PEAR, ALMOND AND PISTACHIO TART

Kirti Kamal of Boutique Boulangerie in Durban has been cooking and baking from a young age, learning from skilled women.

SERVES 8

Preparation: 15 min

Resting: 1 hour

Cooking: 40 min

FILLING

125g ground almonds

125g butter, softened

2 eggs

2,5ml (½t) almond extract

15ml (1T) flour, sifted

BASE

125g butter, softened

250g (1c) castor sugar

2 eggs

5ml (1t) vanilla extract

375ml (1½c) flour, sifted

TO COMPLETE

170g canned pear halves,

drained

30g pistachios, crushed

Grease a 22cm loose-bottom tart tin with a little butter.

1 Filling Beat the ingredients together until well combined. Set aside.

2 Base Beat the butter and castor sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract. Fold in the sifted flour to form a soft dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3 Once the dough has rested remove from the clingfilm and roll between two sheets of lightly floured baking paper to a thickness of about 1½ to 2cm. Remove the top sheet of baking paper and quickly flip the dough over into the tart tin. Remove the second sheet of baking paper and gently pat the dough into the tart tin to line. Remove the excess dough at the edges of the tin and put the lined tin in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

4 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Once the pastry case has rested, blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the baking beans and set aside.

5 To complete Fill the cooled case with the filling and top with pears. Sprinkle pistachios over and bake for 20-25 minutes or until dark golden. Allow to cool before serving.