Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients
For the pears
- 3–4 pears, peeled, quartered and cored
- 1 small knob of butter
- 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
- For the pastry
- 45g icing sugar
- 180g plain flour
- 90g butter, cubed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp iced water
For the toffee sauce
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 25g butter
- 150ml double cream
- A pinch of sea salt
- For the frangipane
- 150g unsalted butter
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 150g ground almonds
Method
Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pears and brown sugar and fry gently until the pears are just beginning to soften. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the pastry, combine the icing sugar and flour in a medium bowl. Rub in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and iced water and bring everything together with your hands, kneading lightly until you have a smooth dough. Wrap the pastry and place it in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
Roll out the pastry to about 2mm thick. Grease and flour a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin, then lay the pastry over the tin, tucking it into the corners and leaving an overhang. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans.
Blind bake the tart case for 25 minutes, then remove the baking parchment and beans. Trim the overhang and return the tart case to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until the base is just starting to colour. Remove from the oven and set aside.
To make the toffee sauce, place the sugar in a small, heavy-based pan. Add 1 tablespoon of water and place over a medium heat. Bring the sugar to a simmer, gently swirling the pan to help the sugar dissolve and caramelise. When it has reached a nutty golden colour, remove the pan from the heat and, stirring continuously, add the butter followed by the cream. Stir for 1–2 minutes, until you have a smooth sauce. Add a pinch of sea salt and leave to cool slightly.
For the frangipane, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, then fold in the ground almonds until combined.
Spread the toffee sauce over the base of the tart case, then spoon the frangipane over the top. Arrange the pears over the frangipane.
Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until the frangipane is just set and lightly golden. Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool for 15–20 minutes before serving with cream or vanilla ice cream.
