Pear & Frangipane Tart

I adore the sweet almond taste and melting texture of frangipane and partnered in a light pastry tart with juicy pears really does make for a delicious combination. I made this Pear & Frangipane Tart from Gordon Ramsays Cooking For Friends book and it went down a treat with some sinful double cream.

Rolling out 300g of puff pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin

Using a 20cm round cake tin to cut the pastry into a neat circle

Transfer pastry to baking sheet and score round the edge (about 1.5cm width)

Then brush the rim with an egg wash (1 egg yolk, beaten with 2tsp water)

Put the pastry to one side and begin the Sugar syrup (50g caster sugar, 50ml water, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise and the juice of one lemon)

Put all of the sugar syrup ingredients into a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and simmer for 10 mins until thickened and then leave to cool.

While the sugar syrup is cooling it's time to make the frangipane. Beat together 75g butter and 75g icing sugar then slowly add 1 medium lightly beaten egg, mix until this is fully incorporated. Then add 75g of ground almonds and 2 tbsp of plain flour and fold through the mix.

Finally mix in 1 & a half teaspoons of Amaretto and let this mixture stand for 5 minutes while you prepare the pears

Peel 2 large (or 3 medium) pears

Cut each pear in half lengthways

Take out the pear cores and discard

Cut each of the pears into thin slices lengthways and place in a large bowl, pour your cooled sugar syrup mix over the pears and leave them to soak up the syrup for a few minutes while you preheat the oven to 190 degrees/gas mark 5 (it's best not to use a fan oven)

Spread a layer of your frangipane mix evenly over the pastry, leaving the glazed rim clear

Drain the pears and pat dry on kitchen towell, then layer them on top of the frangipane (as above).

Sift a little icing sugar over the top and bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-45 minutes until the pears are tender and the frangipane filling is golden brown and set

Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool slightly and If you like you can brush some of the delicious sugar syrup over the pears

I served my tart cooled with thick double cream but it would be equally tasty warm with vanilla ice-cream or custard

Love

Lorraine

Lacroix x