Pear and Almond Tart

I bring a recipe that combines the sweet flavor of pears with the characteristic touch of almonds. A combination that pairs perfectly, in a tart that offers a pretty presentation with minimal fuss.

It is a tart with shortcrust pastry exterior (which you can skip making if you buy it chilled) and filled with Genoise-style almond cake, a sweet dough with an intense almond flavor. All of it decorated with pears and almonds.

The pears I used are pears in syrup, but you can use fresh pears without any fear. Since the fruit is so sweet on its own, you don't need to add much sugar to the recipe.

To make it I used the De Buyer square removable tart pan. I've always found low square tarts adorable! But you can make this same tart in whatever shape you like — you can make it in a round pan, or you can make it rectangular, which also presents beautifully (if this is the case, I would also recommend a removable pan, they are very convenient, and if it is perforated the baking of the dough will be very quick).

De Buyer square removable pan

Ingredients

For the Genoise-style almond cake:

• 350 g marzipan 33%
• 180 g whole eggs
• 80 g butter

• 250 g wheat flour
• 190 g butter
• 16 g powdered sugar
• 10 g egg yolks
• 2 g fine salt
• 50 g whole milk

*You can skip this step if you use a chilled pâte brisée.

• 4 pears (they can be pears in syrup if you prefer)
• Sliced almonds

Preparation

1. To make the shortcrust*, mix the flour, sugar, salt and butter (it is very important that the butter is very cold, and handle it as little as possible). Add the egg yolk, mix and finish by adding the milk. Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Next we prepare the Genoise-style almond cake. In a food processor, put the marzipan and break it into small pieces. Add and mix the eggs until you obtain a very smooth paste. Add the melted butter, mix again and set aside.
3. Take the shortcrust out of the refrigerator and fit it into the De Buyer square removable tart pan.
4. Place the Genoise-style almond cake you prepared earlier on top of the shortcrust.
5. Peel the pears and cut them into similarly sized pieces, and distribute them over the dough (as in the photo)
6. To finish, sprinkle the sliced almonds over the remaining spaces on the tart.
7. Bake for 25 minutes at 190°C and it’s ready to serve.

NOTES

How to make marzipan? If you're interested or can't find marzipan at your usual store, you can make it yourself in no time: put 375 g of almonds in a food processor and grind them until you obtain almond flour. Then add 375 g of powdered sugar, 1 egg white and, if you have it, 1 tablespoon of almond extract. Blend everything in the same processor until you obtain a paste. Remove it, wrap it in cling film shaping it into a roll and store it in the fridge until you use it (it will keep perfectly for a few days).