Pear frangipane tart

Ingredients

For the pastry:

200 g plain flour, plus extra fro dusting

Pinch of salt

100 g unsalted butter, chilled and diced

50 g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

For the filling and glaze:

125 g unsalted butter, softened

125 g caster sugar

150g ground almonds

3 eggs, beaten

50 g plain flour

3 pears, peeled, halved and cored

2 tbsp apricot glaze (see Tips)

1 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted

 Method

1 To make the pastry case, sift the flour and salt into a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, pulse again, then add the egg yolk and 2 tbsp cold water. Process until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth and shape into a flat disc. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

2 Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and use to line a Zyliss 23cm round fluted loose-based flan tin. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.

3 Trim the pastry edges and prick the base all over with a fork. Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beans (or rice). Place on the hot baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Cool for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.

4 To make the filling, beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until creamy. Beat in the eggs then fold in the ground almonds and flour. Spread the frangipane evenly in the pastry case. Slice each pear half lengthways into 5-6 slices and arrange on top of the frangipane.

5 Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is golden and set. Cool for 5-10 minutes then brush the warmed apricot glaze all over the top. Scatter over the almonds and serve warm or cold with crème fraiche, if liked.

TIPS

Try not to stretch the pastry when lining the flan tin, otherwise it may shrink around the edge during baking.

To make the apricot glaze, warm 2 tbsp apricot jam with 2 tsp water in a small saucepan over a low heat until melted and bubbling. Cool for a few minutes then push through a fine-holed sieve to make a smooth glaze