Pear and Almond Frangipane Tart
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Dessert
- Features: Holiday (Thanksgiving)
Summary:
Frangipane is a butter and ground almond mixture that bakes into a soft macaroon-like filling.
8 servings
Ingredients:
For the crust- 1 Cream Cheese Pie Crust (see related recipe)
- 3 Bartlett or Bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Directions:
For the crust: Lightly butter a 9- or 9 1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
Lightly flour the rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a round about 3 inches larger than the bottom of the tart pan. Transfer to the pan. Fold the overhang in and pat it into place to form double-thick sides. Cover and refrigerate the crust until it is cold and firm, 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the tart pan on a lined baking sheet. Line the cold tart crust with heavy-duty aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or metal pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and continue to bake until the crust is golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
For the filling: In a medium bowl, toss the pears and lemon juice. Set aside.
In a food processor, process the almonds until they are finely ground. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla and almond extracts and egg, and process to combine. Add the softened butter and process until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the frangipane mixture into the partially baked crust, spreading it evenly.
Arrange the pear slices in overlapping slices on top of the frangipane. There should be 2 circular rows. Bake until the filling is golden and set, and any moisture from the pears has evaporated, about 40 minutes. Let cool for about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from cookbook author Elinor Klivans.
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