Pear Frangipane Tart: A Sweet Symphony of Pears and Almonds

What is Pear Frangipane Tart?

A Pear Frangipane Tart is a classic dessert that features a crisp, flaky pastry tart shell (Pate Sucree) filled with a luxurious almond cream known as Frangipane and adorned with slices of poached pears. This combination of textures and flavors results in a dessert that’s both visually stunning and incredibly delicious.

This dessert is a delicious show-stopper perfect for any casual or special occasion. The decadent pear flavors pair wonderfully with the distinguished flavors and texture of the almond cream.

If you are a fan of tarts and pies, check out my Torta Della Nonna recipe (Italian cream tart), this Tarte Au Chocolat, or this French Strawberry Tart. And if you bought too many pears, or have some sliced pears leftovers, use them to make this delicious Almond Pear Cake, this Caramel Pear Pie, and this Pear Streusel Pie.

Ingredients

Before we begin, gather the following ingredients. The complete tart recipe can be found below in the recipe card.

For the Shortcrust

For this recipe, I used Pate Sucree and sweet tart dough, but you can use also Pate Sable, which is slightly less sweet and easier to work with.

• Bleached all-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Large egg
• Vanilla Extract
• Unsalted butter at room temperature

For the Almond Cream (Frangipane)

• Unsalted butter, melted
• Granulated sugar
• Almond flour (ground almonds)
• Large eggs
• Almond extract (optional)

For the Poached Pears

• Firm pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
• Water
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon juice and lemon rind
• Optional: up to two cinnamon sticks.

How to Make Pear Almond Tart

Let’s dive into the step-by-step process of creating this exquisite dessert

Make the sweet shortcrust pastry

1. In a stand mixer or a food processor, mix the butter and sugar until combined.
2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix to blend.
3. Add the flour and mix until you have a smooth dough.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes.

almond frangipane filling

There are a total of three methods to make the almond filling, to learn more including when using whole almonds, or other kinds of nuts (like pecans, and pistachios) check out my post about How To Make Almond Cream Filling.

1. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until smooth. 
2. Set aside for the butter to cool and the cream to slightly set.

Poached Pears

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, lemon rind, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Gently add the pear slices and poach them for 10-15 minutes or until they are slightly softened.
3. Remove the poached pears from the syrup and allow them to cool. Reserve 1 cup of the water. Once cooled, slice each pear half into thin slices.

Blind Baking the crust

1. Roll out the chilled shortcrust pastry between two pieces of parchment paper into a circle large enough to line a tart pan.
2. Remove the top paper, then use the bottom paper to press the pastry into the pan. Cool the tart tin in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before removing the top paper and trimming the edges.
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, peel the top parchment paper off, and trim the edges. Prick the tart crust with a fork, and cover it with greased parchment paper.
4. Fill it with pie weights, or dried beans and blind bake for 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the pie weights.

Assembling and Baking

1. Spread the almond cream in the par-baked shell. Fill the cream no more than 2/3 full. You can freeze the frangipane leftovers and use them to bake Mini Apple Galettes.
2. Arrange the poached pear halves slices on top in an attractive pattern. Sprinkle with sliced almonds (optional)
3. Bake until the pastry crust is golden brown and the almond cream is set. Remove from the oven and allow to chill in the tin before inverting to a serving plate.
4. Bring one cup of the reserved poached water along with 1/4 cup of sugar to a boil, then use a pastry brush to brush the pears. (alternatively, you can use a warmed apricot jam.)

Make a head and Storing

The short-crust dough can be made up to two days in advance and kept in the refrigerator. The Frangipane can be made up to three days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Store any leftover Pear Frangipane Tart in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. It can also be served at room temperature or gently reheated in the oven for a few minutes.

 How to Serve Pear Frangipane Tart

This delicious Almond Pear Tart is great with just a dust of powdered sugar, but here are some topping and serving ideas:

• Homemade Whipped Cream, just a dollop is enough.
• Ice Cream. Warm the tart for a few minutes in a 300F (150C) preheated oven and top the tart with a creamy scoop of vanilla, or caramel ice cream.
• A drizzle of caramel, or dark chocolate. Carmel sauce will add a rich and deep flavors to the tart, without compromising the flavors. Chocolate will round up all of the flavors together and take the tart a few steps up.

Expert Tips

• This recipe can make right, night, or ten-inch tarts, and should be baked in a removable bottom tart pan.
• Be sure to use ripe and slightly firm pears for poaching to ensure they hold their shape during baking. Use any pears you enjoy eating, Anjou or Bosc pears are good options.
• Depending on how big the pears are you might need to use 2 or three.
• Place the tart shell over a baking sheet when baking, for even distribution. 
• Don’t skip the step of allowing the poached pears to cool before arranging them on the tart. This will prevent them from releasing excess moisture onto the pastry.
• For extra creaminess, add up to 1/2 cup of pastry cream to the almond paste.

FAQ