With melt in the mouth pastry and a classic flavour combination, this Pear and Almond Frangipane Tart not only looks inviting but also tastes amazing.
Almonds and pears are such a classic combination. They work so beautifully well together. And when the pears are poached lightly in a simple syrup containing vanilla and cinnamon the whole tart really comes alive.
Sometimes called a frangipane tart the finished tart is glazed with a little apricot jam to produce a wonderful sheen to the finished bake.
The flaked almonds provide a lovely contrast of texture and once finished with a glaze of apricot jam the whole bake looks incredibly inviting.
The almond pastry
The pastry case is made from a delicious almond pastry. Adding ground almonds make the pastry melt in the mouth making this one of my favourite pastries to use for sweet tarts. Unlike some rich sweet pastries, which tend to break and crack as you roll them out, this is surprisingly easy to handle.
Cook's Tip: If you do find it difficult to roll out, try rolling out the pastry between 2 sheets of clingfilm or baking parchment.
As with all pastry try not to stretch the pastry as you roll it, Only roll the pastry in a forward motion and keep turning the pastry as you roll it. And make sure you chill the pastry before baking.
The Poached Pears
I've poached the pears in a vanilla and cinnamon flavoured syrup, which works well with the frangipane. If you want you can subtly change the flavour of the tart by poaching the pears in a different flavoured syrup.
Poached pear variations
- Try poaching the pears in white wine or cider for added flavour.
- Replace the cinnamon with a few lightly crushed cardamom pods and a pinch of saffron.
- Short of time? Replace with tinned pears the flavour of the pears won't be quite so special but the tart will still be delicious!
The Frangipane
What is Frangipane?
Frangipane is a delicious almond filling used in a variety of bakes. Made from almonds, butter, sugar, eggs and sometimes milk. Depending on the recipe it can vary from an almost custard-like filling to something more like an almond sponge cake.
Indeed the frangipane is made using the creaming method in the same way you would make a Victoria sandwich, substituting the flour with ground almonds. Don't worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled after adding the eggs, this is normal.
Almonds are the classic nuts used in frangipane but you can also make a delicious version with ground hazelnuts.
How long will the tart keep?
The tart will keep for several days if stored in an airtight container or well wrapped in a cool place. You can also keep it in the fridge for a little longer but make sure you bring it up to room temperature before serving.
The tart freezes well for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
How to serve the tart
Serve hot or cold. It can be served on it's own or with whipped cream, clotted cream, ice cream or custard.
📖 Recipe
Pear and almond tart
Equipment
- 23cm (9in) round fluted flan tin.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 175 g (6oz) plain flour (all purpose)
- 50 g (2oz) ground almonds (almond flour)
- 2 tablespoon icing sugar
- 100 g (3½oz) butter cut into cubes
- 1 yolk egg optional
- 2 tablespoon water
Poached pears
- 300 ml water
- 250 g (9oz)golden caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod split
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 firm ripe pears
Frangipane filling
- 125 g butter softened
- 125 g caster sugar
- 125 g ground almonds (almond flour)
- 2 large eggs
To finish
- small handful flaked almonds
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam sieved
Instructions
To poach the pears
- Pour about 300ml (½pt) water into a saucepan, then add 250g (9oz) sugar, 1 split vanilla pod and 1 cinnamon stick. Heat gently stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Peel 2 pears and cut into quarters. Remove the core. Gently place the pear quarters into the pan and poach for 15 minutes or until they feel tender once a sharp knife is inserted. Turn the heat off and allow the pears to cool with the syrup.
To make the pastry case,
- Meanwhile, place 175g (6oz) flour, 50g (2oz) ground almonds and 2 tablespoon icing sugar into a mixing bowl with 100g (3½oz) butter. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolk, if using and enough cold water (about 2 tablespoon or a little more if omitting the egg yolk) to mix to a dough and allow to rest in a cool place for 10 minutes.
- Roll out the pastry and use to a line a 23cm (9in) round fluted flan tin and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan)/400ºF/gas mark 6. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the paper and beans and bake for another 10 minutes or until just golden.
Make the frangipane.
- Beat together 125 g (4oz) butter and 125 g (4oz) sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs then fold in 125 g (4oz) ground almonds.
To assemble the tart
- Carefully remove the poached pears from the poaching liquor with a draining spoon and place them on a wire rack to drain for a few minutes.
- Spoon the frangipane filling into the baked pastry case and spread level. Arrange the drained pears on top of the frangipane with the pointed ends pointing towards the centre. There's no need to push the pears into the frangipane.
- Scatter a few flaked almonds over the tart, moving the almond flakes which land on the pears themselves. Bake. for about 35 minutes until a good golden brown. You may need to rotate the tart after about 20-25 minutes of baking. Remove the tart from the oven and place it onto a cooling rack. Use a pastry brush to carefully brush the apricot jam over the surface of the frangipane. Serve warm or cold.
Angela C says
A great recipe. The detailed instructions were easy to follow. The result was excellent, better than store bought. I only had 2 pears so I cut them into quarters and got 8 divisions. Each guest was served a portion with undivided pear so it looked amazing on the plate. Served with whipped cream. Yum!!!
I will make this recipe again.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Glad you liked the recipe. I love the combination of pear and almond.Have you tried my pear and blackberry fraginpane tart. Its a variation on this recipe with the additon of blackberries.
Nuala says
Hi Jacqui
Thank you for the detailed recipe.This was my first attempt at making frangipane .My tart looks very professional on the outside however I am wondering how the final cooked frangipane should look.Mine (which I cut to check it was cooked through) is more akin to a soft marzipan.I doubled the quantity to make a larger pie and suspect I have done something not quite as it should have been!! Can you give me an idea of the way it should be when done properly.
I will try again
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Its possible yours is slightly under cooked. I would say that the cooked frangipane is somewhere between soft marzipan and a very moist light sponge cake.
Roisin says
Thrilled with this! Delicious!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
so pleased you liked it. thank you for rating the recipe
JvD says
Hi ! Amazing in detail recipe - I ' m planning to make this for my husband ' s birthday as this is his favorite ! I do have a question - is it necessary to have the pie crust par - bake , can I skip this step ?
Thank you in advance !
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Par baking the pie crust ensures that you have a really crisp pastry case which contrasts beautifully with the soft frangipane. Ive not actually tried it but skipping this step in my opinion would result in an inferior bake. You would need longer cooking of the filled tart to cook the pastry and may result in the filling becoming dry. Also the pastry would not be as crisp. I really think you should not skip it. If you dont have any baking beans you can use rice or dried lentils instead
Linda Skidmore says
I love to make frangipane tarts but this one was extra special. The almond pastry was exceptional and remained crisp and tasty for several days. The only variation for me was to add a little sour cherry jam to the base of the tart which I always love with frangipane and a little almond extract to the frangipane mixture itself. The recipe turned out perfectly and it was a huge hit served warm with ice cream and cold the next day with a cup of tea. Oh, and I followed your tip and glazed with a little warmed golden syrup as I had no apricot jam. It looked so professional and delicious when served. This will be my go to recipe from now on, thank you so much.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Linda so pleased you like it Its one of my favourite tarts too. I like the sound of the soured cherry jam addition i must try that. Adding almond extract to the frangipane is fine so long as you bare inmind a little goes along way add too much and it over powers.
Alex says
This was fabulous! Our guests loved it. The pastry was superb.
We served it with a choice of ginger ice cream, vanilla creme fraiche or both. Both was best.
The other thing is that I reduced the poaching liquor after it had served its purpose and it made the most wonderful spiced pear jam. If doing again, I'd be tempted to throw in some diced pear prior to the reduction to make it more of a compote.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
So pleased you like this tart and I love the sound of your spiced jam.
Arneaud-Oliver says
Clearly layed out recipe looking forward to baking👋👋👋👋✨
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Let me know what you think when you have made it
Mal says
Hi. To save time, I plan to cook this pear and almond dessert today (just as a sponge without the pastry case) for friends coming for lunch tomorrow. Please advise the best way and temperature to reheat it.
Thanks in anticipation
Mal
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Sorry I was unable to reply before you planned to make this dessert I am travelling at the moment so not at my computer much. I would love to know how you got on making without the pastry case. As for reheating I probably would have covered in foil and reheat at 170℃ (150℃ fan)/300°F/gas mark 3. for about 20 minutes.
Eya says
Just made this for a birthday and went down a treat with everyone, thanks for the recipe!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
You are very welcome, thank you for making my day with your lovely comment.
Christine Simpson says
I made this tart this morning. I worked exactly to the recipe and method, using an egg yolk and one tablespoon of water for the pastry. It came out of the metal fluted tin perfectly. I have not got any apricot jam for glazing so we are going to eat this one now and I will make another to freeze for Christmas.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Glad you liked it, Christine. If you don't have Apricot jam in the future you could brush with a little shredless marmalade, honey or even warmed golden syrup instead. Have a lovely Christmas.
Chris Godding says
Turned out really well and I am rubbish with pastry! Be careful when adding the water to the dough not to make it too soggy but the recipe is just about right. Delicious.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Glad you liked it, Good tip about the water getting that just right and you are well on the way to perfect pastry.
Lesley Young says
Your tart inspired me to make one, I cheated with tin pears.
Now in the oven and looks fab.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I do hope (and I'm sure it will) tastes as good as it looks.
a said says
i made this but swapped the flour for gluten free and my whole family liked it
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
That's great to hear I love this tart.
Corina says
Such a gorgeous tart! I really love frangipane as well
Choclette Blogger says
Your pear tart looks amazing though and a slice of this would be very welcome right now. Frangipane tarts are one of my favourites, but they're a rarity here as they're a bit of a faff to make.
Sarah James says
Your pear tart looks delicious, I love anything frangipane.