Pear and hazelnut tart

SERVES 8 PREP AND COOK TIME 40 MINUTES

3/4 cup (75g) hazelnut meal

80g butter, softened

1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1 egg

445g sweet short pastry, thawed

3 large (1kg) beurre bosc pears (or 4 small) icing sugar and vanilla ice-cream, to serve 1 Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Line a large 30cm x 40cm oven tray with baking paper. 2 Combine hazelnut meal, butter, sugar, vanilla and egg in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. 3 Roll out and place pastry on the prepared tray. Roll over the sides by 1cm to create an edge. 4 Spread the hazelnut mixture evenly over the pastry. Halve and core the pears; slice thinly, leaving the top intact. Fan the pears over the hazelnut mixture. 5 Bake tart on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 180°C (160°C fan-forced); bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through. 6 Dust with sifted icing sugar and serve with vanilla ice-cream, if desired. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.