Poached Pear Tart

SERVES 8

This tart features delicate poached pears in a sweet frangipane filling, encased in a tender butter pastry. It has simple and balanced flavours that make for a delicious and rather refined dessert. The pears are poached in a flavourful spiced liquid, which can be retained and used as a tasty syrup in drinks or for poaching and preserving other fruits.

INGREDIENTS Poached Pears

• ¾ cup/170g sugar

• 1 cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp ground cinnamon)

• 2cm fresh ginger, thinly sliced

• ⅛ tsp salt

• 1 small lemon

• 3 medium pears

Pastry

• 1½ cups/225g white flour

• 1 Tbsp white sugar

• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

• ⅛ tsp salt

• 120g cold butter, diced

• 1 egg yolk (reserving the white for later) • cold water

Frangipane Filling

• 100g butter, room temperature

• ⅛ tsp salt

• ½ cup/110g white sugar

• 2 eggs + 1 egg white (reserved earlier) • 1 cup/100g ground almonds

• 1½ Tbsp white flour

• ½ tsp almond extract

METHOD

1. Fill a medium-sized saucepan with 1½ litres of water, the sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. While the water is heating, peel the pears and scoop out the pear cores from the bottom using a teaspoon. Chop the lemon into 4 pieces.

2. Add the pears and the lemon into the simmering water and cook the pears for 8–9 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Remove the pan from the heat. Leave the pears to cool in the liquid and start on the pastry.

3. In a bowl, add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt and butter. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into small granules resembling coarse breadcrumbs. Add in the egg yolk and use a fork to combine it, along with 1 Tbsp of cold water at a time, until it forms a stiff dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C (or 180°C fan bake).

5. On a lightly floured bench, roll the dough out into a large circle and gently press it into a 23cm tart tin. Prick the pastry a few times with a fork. Place a sheet of baking paper on top of the pastry dough and some baking weights (or dried rice) to hold the paper down. Bake the pastry for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove the baking paper and weights and bake for a further 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

6. While it is cooling, start the frangipane filling. In a mixing bowl, add the butter, salt and sugar. Beat together until pale and fluffy. Add 1 egg and one-third of the ground almonds and beat well, then repeat with the remaining egg and almonds. Then, add the flour and almond extract.

7. Once the pears have cooled, remove them from the poaching liquid and let them drain on a chopping board. Slice each pear in half, then each half into 5–6 slices, keeping them together in the pear shape. Spread the frangipane filling in the bottom of the pastry base. Arrange the pear halves on top and lightly press them into the filling.

8. Lower the oven temperature to 190°C (or 170°C fan bake) and bake the tart for 40–45 minutes or until the centre of the tart is cooked. Remove it from the oven and let it cool before dusting with icing sugar and serving.