Pear and Cardamom Frangipane Tart
This recipe came about when a colleague offered me a garden’s worth of pears. I love pears—they’re underrated and, in my opinion, superior to apples. While apples pair well with cinnamon, pears shine with cardamom and ginger, two of my favourite spices. Instead of poaching the pears, I kept them fresh to preserve their natural flavour and texture. This tart is perfect for afternoon tea or dessert, especially when served with clotted cream or chocolate ice cream. If you can’t find ground cardamom, ground ginger works just as well.
Serves 8-10
Hands-on Time 20 minutes
Baking Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
1 portion Almond Sweet Shortcrust Pastry (chilled for at least 30 minutes)
100g unsalted butter (softened)
100g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
100g ground almonds
30g plain flour
2½ tsp ground cardamom
6 pears (firm to ripe)
Equipment
Baking parchment
Rolling pin
20cm loose-bottomed flan tin
Serrated knife
Baking beads
Large bowl
Spatula
Knife
Chopping board
Tin foil
Wire rack
Method
1. Prepare the pastry case
Roll out the chilled pastry between baking parchment into a circle slightly larger than the flan tin.
Flip the pastry into the tin, press into the corners, and trim any excess. Chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C (fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Line the pastry case with parchment, fill with baking beads, and blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and beads.
2. Make the frangipane
Increase the oven temperature to 190°C/170°C (fan)/375°F/Gas Mark 5.
In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar, eggs, ground almonds, flour, and cardamom until smooth.
Spoon the frangipane into the pastry case.
3. Prepare the pears
Peel, halve, and core the pears. Optionally, cut slits to fan them out.
Arrange the pears gently on top of the frangipane.
4. Bake the tart
Bake for 35 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, cover with foil after 20 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack before serving.
Enjoy!
