Baked Pear and Almond Tart

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

Short Crust Pastry
225g butter
20g sugar
1 tsp salt
60ml water
1 egg yolk
300g plain flour

Almond Cream
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g almond meal
200g icing sugar, sifted
5g (1½ tsp) corn flour
3 eggs
30ml rum
7-8 pear halves in syrup, drained well
Apricot jam, warmed
Almond flakes, toasted
Whipped cream

Method

Preheat oven to 185°C

Short Crust Pastry
Cream in a bowl butter & sugar. Dissolve salt in water. Add egg yolk slowly. Add flour & water blend carefully. Wrap in cling film & store in fridge until needed.

Roll the pastry out to about 3mm thickness and use it to line a 22cm tart ring on a tray. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Almond Cream
In a food processor, mix the butter and icing sugar together, then gradually add the eggs one by one. Mix in the cornflour, then add the almond meal and rum and lightly mix until a paste forms. Place in a bowl and cover with a towel until ready to use.

Bring the shortcrust pastry out of the fridge

Spoon approximately 250g almond cream into the tart case & spread evenly.

Lightly score the pear halves and place them neatly into pastry case, flat side down, on top of the almond cream. Bake at 185°C for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and using a pastry brush, evenly spread over the apricot jam, then dress the edges with the toasted almonds.