Pear Almondine

Simple and delicious – a template to accommodate many other fruits and flavours.

Raymond Blanc

You can find some excellent preserved Williams pears in jars or tins, ideal for this recipe. Prefer to use a baking stone, but not required.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 6 pear halves, tinned or jarred
• 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for brushing the tin
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 medium egg (preferably organic or free-range)

To Serve

• a handful of flaked almonds (for extra flavour, first toast them in a dry pan)
• icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. Butter (or oil) a tart ring, about 18cm x 2cm. Cut a long strip of greaseproof paper to stick to the inside. Place the lined tart ring on a lined baking tray or baking stone. Drain the pears and slice them in half again if they are large. In a large bowl, mix the softened butter and sugar. Then add ground almonds, cornflour, vanilla and egg, and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin, spreading it evenly.

Arrange the pear halves evenly around the outside of the tart, resting them on top of the almond sponge mixture, and with the tip of each half meeting in the middle. According to size of the pears, you may require the base of half a pear to fill a space in the centre. Scatter with almonds. Bake the tart on the middle shelf of the oven, on the preheated baking stone or baking tray, for 16–20 minutes, or until golden. Leave the cake to cool for a few minutes before removing it from the ring. Before serving, dust with icing sugar.

Variation

In a saucepan, reduce the syrup from the jar, let it cool and add a dash of Poire William, the pear liqueur. After baking, puncture the pears with a fork and pour over the syrup. It adds colour and flavour.