Pear and Almond Tart

My mom made this pear tart for dessert on Christmas Eve. It was so amazingly delicious that we made another one a few days later! The original recipe is from here and has been slightly adapted.

Ingredients:

-1 pie crust
-sliced almonds

Filling:

• 1/3 cup almond paste (not marzipan)
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1 egg
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
• 3 large (Bosc) pears
• lemon juice

Glaze:

• 1/4 cup apricot jam
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• piece of lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons water

1. Roll your pie crust into a 13-inch circle.

2. Press the dough into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Fit the dough into the edges and then trim off the excess dough. Put the crust in the freezer to chill for a half hour. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

3. Beat together the almond paste and sugar to break it apart.

Beat in the butter. Mix in the egg, flour, salt, and almond extract and beat until light and fluffy (this is the frangipane).

4. Peel and core the pears, and then slice them thinly, about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. Places the slices in a bowl with the lemon juice to help preserve their color.

5. Spread the frangipane over the bottom of the tart shell.

Carefully arrange the pear slices in a decorative pattern, letting them overlap slightly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pears take on a bit of color and the edges of the tart shell are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

6. While the tart bakes, place the apricot jam, lemon peel, vanilla extract, and water into a small sauce pan and warm over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, constantly stirring.

Once it has reduced and thickened take it off the heat and set it aside. Once the tart is out of the oven brush the apricot glaze over the pears. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Serve.

My mouth is watering in remembrance.

I want to make this again!