Forelle Pear and Thyme Frangipane Tart
Serves: 8 slices
 
A delicious almond cream tart with beautiful Forelle Pears, scented lightly with thyme.
Ingredients
TART
  • ½ cup/65g ground almonds
  • ¼ cup/53g organic cane sugar
  • 2 tablespoons/25g organic plain/all purpose flour
  • 3 tbs butter
  • 1 large organic egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • Tart shell
  • 3 or 4 Forelle pears, sliced horizontally in circles
  • ⅛ cup apricot preserves to glaze.
TART SHELL
  • 1½ cups/220g organic all purpose/plain flour
  • salt a pinch
  • 8 tablespoons/113g butter, cold, cut into 1" cubes
  • 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
  • 3-5 tbs ice cold water
Instructions
TART SHELL
  1. In the bowl of a food processor add flour, salt and sugar. Pulse to mix.
  2. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  3. Add 3 tablespoons ice cold water and pulse until incorporated.
  4. Add tablespoon at a time of water if needed (mine took 4)
  5. Dump out into a board or counter and knead gently till the dough holds together.
  6. Wrap with plastic and chill for 30 minutes before rolling out.
  7. If baking the tart shell that day, preheat the oven to 375 ℉/180℃ (for a rectangular or round pan)
  8. The dough is pretty easy to roll out on a counter top with a good dusting of flour.
  9. You can also choose to roll it out between parchment or plastic.
  10. Roll out the dough to 18" by 8" (45 x 20 cm) for a rectangular pan or 12"(30cm) for a 9" (23 cm) round pan.
  11. Chill in freezer for 10 minutes if baking right away or overnight for later use.
  12. Line with parchment and fill with beans or rice (blind bake)
  13. Place the tart in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 375℉/180℃ till golden at the edges
  14. Remove beans or rice and bake all the way through till golden all over, 15/20 minutes or until set.
  15. If the dough is not set, it will stick to the parchment more.
  16. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before filling.
TART
  1. Mix together ground almonds and flour together in a bowl.
  2. In a food processor or mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg and beat well.
  4. Add the vanilla extract and thyme leaves.
  5. Add the almond-flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  6. Spread the paste into the tart shell
  7. Arrange the pears on top.
  8. Sprinkle some extra thyme leaves on top.
  9. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is puffy and golden brown.
  10. Cool on rack.
  11. Apply an apricot glaze if desired, by warming some apricot jam and brushing on the pears only.
  12. Add a spring or two of thyme or sprinkle thyme leaves over the pears.
Notes
The quantity of almond filling above is the perfect amount for a rectangular pan. If you will be using a 9" round pan, you may need to make a quantity and a half (double might be too much since that's what I use for my 11" tart). If you need a visual for the tart rolling, please check out my White Chocolate Blackberry Tart The procedure is the same.
Recipe by Coffee and Crumpets at http://www.coffeeandcrumpets.com/forelle-pear-and-thyme-frangipane-tart/