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.