We've had pears in our Bountiful Basket every week for the last several weeks. That's a LOT of pears, considering we usually get at least half a dozen a week. I haven't been able to use all of them before they turn, which I hate.
So, since I've been in such a baking mood lately, I decided to make a pear tart. I originally planned to make this for Thanksgiving, but I ended up doing the lemon cake instead. I was thinking about the tart earlier this week, and trying to remember to get some blanched almonds at the grosto.
Frangipane is traditionally made from almonds, but hazelnut frangipane has become popular, as well. As I was going through my pantry looking for something else, I found a bag of hazelnuts I'd forgotten about (story of my life). The only thing I had missing for my tart ingredients were the nuts, so I decided to do the tart with hazelnuts instead of almonds.
Typically when I make a recipe, I do a little research online first, just to get the basics of what I want to do. I can never follow another recipe without doing my own thing with it -- and such is the case here. I discovered there were only about 3 or 4 versions of this tart recipe -- lots and lots of links, but the recipes turned out to be the same as I'd already seen. So, basics in hand, I set out to do my own.
Traditionally, the pears aren't poached before being added to the tart, it appears. But I was thinking that lightly poaching them first would just add a whole new depth of flavor. And the spices I used in the poaching liquid are ones I associate with "the holidays." And the poaching liquid smells so good! White wine, cinnamon, ginger, orange peel -- yummy holiday scents!
I only lightly poached the pears because they still cook a while longer in the over. I'm sure poaching makes them harder to deal with for placement on the tart, but as always, I tend to go more for flavor than aesthetics. You can forgo the poaching first, of course, but I recommend it highly to get the extra level of flavor. And yours may turn out perfectly! I'd never made a pear tart before, so I may get better in the aesthetics department with a little practice. Mine wasn't ugly, by any means, but I just didn't get it as perfect as I wanted. It's very rustic!
Another little twist I did was to put a thin layer of Nutella on the bottom of the crust under the frangipane. (I did this while the crust was still pretty warm, so the Nutella spread easily without damaging the crust.) The frangipane is hazelnut, so I thought the Nutella would be great -- chocolately - hazelnutty goodness! I was right! I love it! Again, this step is optional, but I think it's awesome. Alternatively, you could use a thin layer of your favorite jam -- blackberry, raspberry, etc. I thought about using blackberry jam that I have in the pantry, but went with the Nutella instead. You could also just do it the traditional way, with no extra layer.
Other recipes I looked at all seemed to have a "glaze" of apricot preserves over the pears. Some were done before cooking, some after. I didn't do this because I had poached my pears first, and I wanted that flavor to come through. If you decide not to poach the pears first, I'd recommend using the glaze. I'd think you could use any flavor of jam or preserves -- apricot is probably standard because it wouldn't change the coloring of the pears. I'd mix apricot preserves with a bit of lemon juice and microwave to melt the glaze for easier spreading over the pears. I may try this next time, even with the poached pears, just to compare.
Finally, I would only use fresh pears for this! I saw some recipes using canned pears, which I guess is okay if you just have to make the tart and you just can't get fresh pears. Personally, I'd just make something else rather than using canned pears in this.
Now, on to the good stuff!
The How:
Pear – Hazelnut Frangipane Tart
1 C. hazelnuts -- toasted, loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel, and cooled
½ C. sugar (divided into ¼ cups)
¼ C. all-purpose flour
6 T. cold unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
½ t. pure almond extract
¼ to 1/3 C. Nutella
3 firm-ripe pears, poached (see below for instructions)
Tart shell or frozen pie crust, thawed and pre-baked according to package directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pulse hazelnuts with ¼ cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground, then add flour and pulse to combine. (Don’t overprocess).
Beat together butter and remaining ¼ cup sugar with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. Reduce speed to low and mix in nut mixture until just combined.
Spread a thin layer of Nutella on the bottom of the crust while the crust is still warm. Spread frangipane filling evenly over it.
Cut the poached pears lengthwise into ¼ inch-thick slices, cutting to just below the stem end to keep the slices together. Arrange pears decoratively on filling, fanning slices slightly.
Bake until pears are lightly golden and frangipane is puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
Poached Pears
1.5 C. white wine
3 C. water (enough to cover pears)
½ C. sugar
2 to 3 long strips of fresh orange peel
1 T. fresh ginger, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
½ t. pure vanilla extract
2 T. orange liqueur (e.g. Grand Mariner)
3 firm pears; peeled, cored, and halved (Bosc or Concorde)
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except the pears. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to a simmer.
Slide in the pears, making sure they are covered with liquid.
Keep the liquid at a simmer and poach lightly, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and let the pears cool in their liquid.
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