Pear and manchego tart, with a sage and nut crumb

Serves 4-6

This tart is always a crowd pleaser – serve it for lunch or as a simple supper with wilted greens. The sage crumb has a lovely light texture, but the sweet pears are the real stars of the dish.

320g sheet pre-rolled all butter puff pastry 2 Conference pears 200g crème fraîche 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 150g Manchego cheese, grated 1 tsp dried chilli flakes Leaves of 1 small bunch thyme Salt and freshly ground black pepper For the crumb Leaves of 1 large bunch sage

40g hazelnuts 1 green chilli, chopped

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Lay the pastry sheet on a large baking tray. Score a 2cm border all around and prick the base with a fork.

Cut each pear into eighths. In a large bowl, mix together the crème fraîche, mustard, half of the cheese, the chilli flakes, thyme leaves, salt and pepper.

Spread the mixture over the pastry sheet to the border. Arrange the pears on top, sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and put the tart in the fridge to chill while you make the nut crumb.

Put all the crumb ingredients in a small blender or pestle and mortar and blend until coarsely combined.

Scatter half the crumb mixture over the tart and put the rest in a small serving bowl. Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve the tart with the remaining sage and nut crumb on the side.