Pear & Almond Tart

Tried this once this weekend, then attempted it again with a few tweaks and this is the final version. Enjoy, its delicious. 

Equipment

• 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
• Baking parchment
• Dried red lentils (or baking beans) for pre baking

Ingredients

Pastry

• 400g sweet shortcrust pastry
• 1 egg, beaten (for brushing)

Filling

• 4 ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced into thin wedges
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 150g softened butter
• 150g golden caster sugar
• 150g ground almonds 
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp pear liqueur or brandy
• 3 tbsp apricot jam

Method

1. Pre bake the pastry

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).

Line your tart tin with the pastry, leaving a slight overhang if needed. Prick the base lightly with a fork.

Line with baking parchment and fill with dried red lentils (they work brilliantly instead of baking beans and are much cheaper).

Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the parchment and lentils, brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg and return to the oven for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Leave to cool slightly.

2. Make the filling

Toss the pear slices with the lemon juice to stop them browning.

Beat together:

• softened butter
• sugar
• ground almonds
• egg yolks
• pear liqueur (or brandy)

until smooth. Spread evenly into the tart case.

3. Arrange the pears

Lay the pear slices in overlapping circles, starting around the outside and working your way into the centre.

Don't worry if they seem piled quite high—they'll soften as they bake.

4. Bake

Bake for 35–40 minutes until:

• the almond filling is golden,
• the centre is just set (not wobbly),
• and the pears have started to caramelise around the edges.

5. Glaze

Warm the apricot jam until runny 

Brush generously over the warm tart to give it a lovely glossy finish.

Leave to cool before serving.

Delicious with ice cream.