Pear Frangipane

I bought a cookbook for my 25th birthday. Its about 600 pages and has all sorts of amazing pastries, tarts, custards and cakes that you won't find in your typical cookbook.  Last night was the last Sunday Red will have off for awhile, so I decided to roast a couple of chickens, make a potato casserole and this little custardy piece of heaven for dessert!  This is one of those desserts that will wow the inlaws and trick everyone into thinking you slaved to make something this awesome!

Here's what you'll need:

A food processor
tart pan with removeable bottom or a pie plate will do

For the pastry:
1 Cup of all purpose flour
1/4 tsp of salt
6 tblsp cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 tblsps (or a little more) of ice cold water

Frangipane:
6 Tblsp butter
2/3 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup of ground almonds
2 tsps all purpose flour
1 tsp corn starch
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 soft, ripe pears(I used bartlett) peeled, cut in half lengthwise, cored then thinly sliced

For the pastry, place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to blend.  Add butter and pulse util  mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add ice water; pulse until ball barely forms.  Father into a ball; wrap with plastic wrap and refridgerate for 1 hour.

Preheat over to 375.

Roll out dough and place in tart or pie pan.  Bake crust for 20 minutes.  Let cool.

In food processor, place whole almonds and pulse until finely ground.  If you have more left over, store them in a container to put on ice cream later ;)

For Frangipane, place butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth.  Add almonds and blend.  Add flour, cornstarch, egg and egg white.  Process until smooth.  Add vanilla and almond extracts; blend well.

Spread frangipane in pastry.  Arrange pears in any design on the frangipane, lightly press pears into mixture.

 

 

Here it is right before going into the oven!  Your pears are going to "sink" a little, don't worry!  I also sprinkled some extra ground almonds on top before it went in!

 

 

Bake about 40 minutes, until frangipane is puffy and golden.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy! :)

 

FOB Frahlich