French Pear Frangipane Tarte
- Sweet Pastry Crust (page 76), pressed into a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom and prebaked for 10 minutes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or nonhydrogenated butter substitute, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup light agave nectar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons Kirsch
- 4 ripe Bartlett pears
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light agave nectar
- 3 tablespoons juice-sweetened apricot jam
- Sinfully Rich Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (page 82), Soy Vanilla Ice Cream (page 83), or Agave Nectar Whipped Cream (page 113), for garnish (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- To make the filling, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and agave nectar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and beat again.
- Add almond meal, almond extract, and Kirsch.
- Beat well.
- Pour into the prebaked tart crust.
- To make the topping, peel and halve the pears, drizzling with the lemon juice as you go to keep them from turning brown.
- Slice each pear half into thin slices, keeping them together at the stem end (do not cut through).
- Fan out the pears slightly and place each over the filling in a circular pattern.
- Drizzle the agave nectar over the pears and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until they turn a light golden brown.
- Warm the apricot jam in a saucepan over low heat and brush or drizzle over the pears.
- Let the tart cool slightly.
- Its best served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
- Apricot Frangipane Tart: When in season, substitute fresh ripe apricots for the pears for a special treat.
- Depending on the size, 8 to 10 apricots should be sufficient to cover a 10-inch tart.
- Cut the apricots in half and place, cut sides down, over the filling.
- Bake as directed above.
sweet pastry crust, unsalted butter, light agave, eggs, almond meal, almond, bartlett, lemon juice, nectar, apricot, vanilla
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/french-pear-frangipane-tarte-379369 (may not work)