Pear and Chocolate Frangipane Tart

Recipe serves: 12

Appliance/Function: Intensive Bake and Steam

Preparation time: 50 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Method

Poached pears

Place all ingredients except pears into a deep, solid steam tray. Steam at 100°C for 5 minutes.

Stir the poaching liquor well. Place pears into the tray with liquor and steam at 100°C for 15 minutes.

Remove from Steam Oven and allow to cool before use. Store in refrigerator until required.

Short crust pastry

Place flour, butter, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and process to a fine crumb.

Add the egg and pulse until the pastry has combined into several large lumps.

Tip pastry onto cling wrap and shape into a rough rectangle. Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Frangipane

Cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add the almond meal, cocoa and nutmeg to the creamed mixture and stir gently until well combined.

Tart

Pre-heat oven on Intensive Bake at 165°C with a baking tray on shelf position 1.

Lightly grease a 35cm x 13cm loose bottomed tart tin. Roll pastry out between two sheets of baking paper until large enough to line the tin (40cm x 18cm). Dock the base of the pastry with a fork.

Spread the frangipane onto the pastry, top with the pear quarters and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.

Place onto the baking tray and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

To serve

Remove tart from tin, drizzle with melted chocolate and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

HINTS AND TIPS

The term ‘dock’ means to make holes in a pastry base, for example with the prongs of a fork.

Ready-made Carême pastry is a nice alternative if you prefer not to make your own pastry.

Recipe Presented by Miele