5 July 2010

PEAR AND ALMOND TART

It’s the season for pears, so I love to make pear desserts. You can make the tart with the pastry in this recipe which will be well worth the effort, or you could use store bought pastry if you’re short of time. The almondy citrus flavoured filling is delicious. Serve with a lightly bubbly Moscato d’Asti which I always think seems to have an aroma of almonds.

• For the pastry:
• 180g butter, chilled and cut into tiny pieces
• 240g flour
• Pinch of salt

• ¼ cup water

• For the filling:

• 4 medium pears, (Doyenne du Comice if you can get them) peeled and quartered and tossed in juice of 1 lemon
• 250g ground almonds
• 150g caster sugar
• 200g butter, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 100g plain flour
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

Make the pastry by placing the flour and butter in a food processor and pulsing together until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the salt and a little of the water and pulse again so the crumbs start to join together and become a little ‘sticky.’ Tip the pastry out onto a clean board and draw it all together, lightly kneading it. Cover with glad wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. To make the tart shell, roll the pastry out to fit the bottom and sides of a 25cm loose bottomed tart ring. Neatly and gently press the pastry into the corners and cut away any excess pastry that rolls over the edges. Allow this to chill for 10-15 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, placing a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. (This is so that the pastry will cook on the bottom when it is put into the oven.) Make the filling by placing the almonds and sugar in the food processor to blend well. Add the butter in small lumps and process until the mixture is pale and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and then add the flour and cinnamon and mix very briefly so the mixture comes together but is not over-processed. Spread the filling over the base and then lay the pear quarters on top of this. Place the tart on the heated baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 160°C and continue baking for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp and the filing has changed to a pale golden brown. Take from the oven, dust the top with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream. Serves 8.