Pear Frangipane Tart

We've changed up this classic French tart to be gluten-free and lower in sugar. We skipped the traditional sweet tart crust in favor of a flakey, slightly salty one.  One-quarter cup of maple syrup brings out the natural sweetness of almonds in the frangipane. Poaching the pears in cardamom keeps their tartness with a subtle hint of spice. This dessert will stun on any occasion.


Servings: EIGHT SLICES


INGREDIENTS

PASTRY

  • 1 1/3 cup almond flour*

  • 1/3 cup cassava flour

  • 1 teaspoon ground flax seeds

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter

PEARS

  • 3 Bosc pears, peeled (extra if they are bruised)

  • 2 tablespoons cardamom pods

  • ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • extra apple cider vinegar 

FRANGIPANE

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • ¼ cup maple syrup

  • 1 egg

  • 1 teaspoon almond extract 

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

  • 1 cup almond flour*

  • 1 tablespoon cassava flour 

  • pinch of salt 

GLAZE (Optional)

  • ¼ cup apricot jam

  • 1 tablespoon water 

 confectioners sugar (optional) 

*Use Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour 

PREPARATION

PASTRY

1 Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 In a food processor, add almond flour, cassava flour, flax seeds, and salt. Pulse a few times until well mixed.

3 Add in the cold butter and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs and pinches together to form dough. Dump the contents of the food processor into a bowl and work it together gently to form a ball.

4 Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch in between two sheets of parchment paper. You will need to work fast. Place the dough sheet into a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press into the pan any pieces that have broken off. Place the tart pan with dough in the freezer for 10 minutes. 

5 Remove the pan from freezer. Blind bake with pie beads on top of parchment for 10 minutes. Remove the beads and bake for 5-10 more minutes until the crust is a light golden brown. Let cool.  

 PEARS

1 Peel the pears and brush with apple cider vinegar.

2 Boil a pot of water with the crushed cardamom pods for 5 minutes. Then add the apple cider vinegar and honey and stir. Gently add the peeled pears to the pot and bring to a low simmer for about 15 minutes or until a knife easily pierces through the pears. (It could take longer than 15 minutes depending on the ripeness of the pears.) 

3 Remove the pears from the water and let cool. Then cut in half and use a melon baller to scoop out the core. Slide sideways and then fan out the pieces of pear.

FRANGIPANE

In a bowl, place all the frangipane ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer. 

ASSEMBLY

1 Evenly spread the frangipane into the cooled pastry shell.

2 Lay the pears out on top in a design of your choice. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the center is no longer wet.

3 Heat the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan then push through a sieve. Brush the glaze onto the pears while warm.

4 When the tart has cooled down, dust with confectioners sugar and remove from tart pan.

NOTES

  • You can speed up poaching time by halving the pears and using a melon baller to scoop out the core. 

  • You want to wait at least 1 hour before removing the tart from the pan.



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Buckwheat Crepes (Savory and Sweet)

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