One of my very favorite things about autumn, when it’s grey and blustery outside, fallen leaves skirling about rain-dampened streets: being safe and cozy indoors, with something baking in the oven, filling the place with warmth and the scent of spices and the promise of comfort food to provide a balm against the chill. It was just such a dismal rainy day yesterday, with the prospect of wet feet enough to keep me indoors, providing the perfect opportunity to make this tart I’ve had my eye on since I picked up some luscious-looking Anjous at the market.
This is a classic French tart: marvelously simple to make despite its deceptively complicated appearance, and a perfect showcase of its ingredients: pears, almonds, butter, sugar. The pears are poached in a sugar syrup laced with cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, and vanilla bean – the resulting fragrance is intoxicating and leaves you with some succulent pears to place in a frangipane-lined tart shell of pâte sablée.
Frangipane is nothing more than an almond cream that is baked, unlike pastry cream, but that description barely captures the marvelousness of this filling. In the oven, it turns into a glorious, puffy, golden cloud enveloping the fruit. Think of it as the cold-weather version of those summer fruit tarts with fresh berries on top of a layer of vanilla pastry cream. Here, the fruit is cushioned inside a rich, custardy, nutty filling – warm, sweet, and utterly satisfying. I first made frangipane in pastry school – we did a version with plums, and if the sight of 13 golden brown, fragrant tarts lined on a table does not make your mouth water, I don’t know what would! Frangipane is classically made with almonds, although you could make it with any nut – hazelnut and pistachio versions are popular – and of course, a multitude of fruits will find a happy home in this filling.
I should also mention that I have had a fondness for the word "frangipane" ever since I read about an imaginary Cafe Frangipane in wordsmith sui generis Karen Elizabeth Gordon’s Paris Out of Hand
My version of this pear tart is taken from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours
I also used this opportunity to make the pâte sablée in my brand-spanking new Cuisinart 7-cup food processor – picked up on sale thanks to a great friend. My previous food processor being of the meager two-cup variety, which was capable of grinding a handful of nuts but not good for much else, I find myself delighted to report that making dough in a food processor is a breeze. Especially for dough recipes that require cutting in cold butter, I find the food processor much more efficient than a stand mixer. It’s also much prettier than my old processor – even though we’re desperately short of counter space at this point, I like seeing it all shiny and sparkly, standing at attention in its spot of honor.
A slice of this pear and almond frangipane tart makes for a cozy bite as darkness falls outside and you can watch the lights go on in windows all around. If I look across the bay, I can see the last rays of the setting sun reflecting off the homes in the Oakland hills, fiery jewels scattered across the green sweep of hillside, mirroring the stars just emerging in the sky above.
Pear and Almond Frangipane Tart
adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours
makes one 9-inch tart
Pâte Sablée
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoon butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
Poached Pears
3 ripe medium pears (I used Anjou) – you only need 2 pears but I suggest having an extra one just in case you mess up a pear
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Frangipane
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg plus 1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
For the pears: Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, cut the pears in half, remove the seed core and fibrous cores at either end, then peel the pears.
Add the pear halves to the simmering syrup and reduce heat to low. Cover, and let pears poach for about 10 minutes, turning them halfway. The pears will become slightly translucent, very tender, and easily pierced with a knife or skewer.
Let the pears cool in the liquid until room temperature before using. Or, you can store them in their liquid in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the tart shell: Put the flour, confectioner’s sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse until the butter is cut into pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and combine in several pulses until the dough starts to turn from dry to clumpy. Do not let the dough form one giant ball or it will be be overworked – just keep checking after every pulse and when the dough pieces looks like they will stick when you press them together, stop.
Butter a 9-in tart tin with removable bottom. Turn the dough out into the tin and press into the bottom and up the sides with your fingers. You probably will not need all the dough – save the extra for patching the shell after you bake it. Do not press the dough too hard or it will become tough – just enough for it to form to the tin.
Freeze the tart shell for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to bake it, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
To partially bake the tart shell, take a piece of foil and butter the shiny side, then press the buttered side tightly to the shell. You do not need pie weights. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until the shell is dry and lightly colored. If any places have cracked, repair with the extra dough. Let cool on a rack until room temperature.
For the frangipane: Combine the butter and sugar in the food processor and combine until smooth. Add the ground almonds and blend together. Add the flour and cornstarch, and then the egg and egg white. Process the mixture until it is very smooth. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts just to blend. The frangipane can be used immediately or you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If it becomes too firm in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for a while to soften before using.
To finish the tart: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the frangipane evenly into the cooled tart shell (It should be liquid enough to smooth out on its own so you don’t need to work to much on it).
Take the poached pears out of their liquid and drain them on paper towels. You don’t want too much excess liquid or they will make the frangipane soggy. Cut each pear half crosswise into 3/8 in thick slices. Do not separate the pear half yet.
Slide a spatula or other flat utensil underneath the pear so you can transfer the entire half onto the tart. Press on the pear to fan the slices toward the top narrow end of the pear.
Slide the pear half onto the frangipane carefully – you can move the pear after you place it, but not much.
Repeat with three other pear halves until there are four halves on the tart, evenly spaced.
Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, until the frangipane is puffed, golden brown, and firm to the touch. Cool the tart on a wire rack.
Before serving, you can brush the pears with some warmed apple jelly to glaze, or dust confectioner’s sugar over the tart.
Tagged with: Pear Almond Frangipane Tart + Dorie Greenspan
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
what a delicious post! I could almost smell all the spices and sweetness baking.
Pear and almond is one of my favorite combinations…they complement each other so well! I recently bought a copy of the cookbook and have now got this recipe on my “to try” list.
love the tart! i like dorrie greenspan, she’s one of my favorite bakers.
Classic and beautiful…well done.
That looks fantastic – you did an amazing Frangipane tart. Yes, love that Frangipane word and the tart.
I sat in Chapters and drooled over the Dorie Greenspan book for quite some time yesterday…
Your tart looks delicious.
Those tarts are gorgeous!! Thanks for such a beautiful post.
frangipane is also the name of a lovely flower! i love frangipane(s)! in all sense of the word… =)
Great minds think alike! I just made a very similar one last night…[insert Twilight Zone music]…pears and frangipane just go so well together. I love that your picture set up captures the softness of the tart. Great job!
oooh…what wonderful tarts. I just went to a pie and tart class and forgot about it. You just inspired me to bake some tarts again.
This tart looks heavenly and I so enjoyed reading the story behind it. Between you and Helene I’m now looking at the two lonely pears sitting on my counter in a different light. 😀
this looks wonderful. I have some Poire William. Wonder if I could add some to the frangipane or the poaching liquid? Don’t want to add too much liquid and mess up the frangipane. Btw, how is frangipane pronounced?
Kat,
Thank you! It’s a great recipe for fall!
T,
I want to try all the recipes in there – it’s such a tempting cookbook!
Eliza,
Thank you! Dorie does write super cookbooks!
Peabody,
Thanks! I’m glad you like it!
Tanna,
Frangipane is just one of those words I love to say! Glad it’s also so tasty!
Brilynn,
This book seems to be everyone’s must-get list now. I think you’d love it!
Ashley,
Thanks for the compliments! I’m glad you liked the post.
Evinrude,
Thanks for reminding me it’s also a flower! Such a great word.
Helen,
Thank you! I think yours looks absolutely luscious as well!
Veron,
Glad to inspire you. Sometimes I’m not in a pie/tart mood either, so I try to take advantage of it when I am!
Lisa,
Thank you! I need to bake more with pears, oftentimes I end up just eating them!
Anu,
You could definitely add some Poire William to the poaching liquid – maybe a couple of teaspoons? Check the taste after adding some before putting in too much. By the way, frangipane is pronounced “fran-juh-pan” – almost just like it’s spelled!
You brought so much good memories back to me when I stumbled on your page and blog. I remember this recipe from culinary school and we poached our pears in port wine, thats another way you can do them, and like you said you can even reduce the wine syrup afterwards to make a nice sauce but like you all already know, this tart doesnt need much. It stands on its own.
I was wondering if i could incorporate orange blossom water somehow into this recipe.
I just love almonds, frangipane and orange blossom water but can’t find a recipe that is good and that has all 3 ingredients. Can you recommend some.
Thank you.
Lucia
Hi Lucia,
I am sure you could use orange blossom water in this recipe! Try eliminating the vanilla and using a teaspoon or two of the orange blossom water instead. I’m sure you could do the same in many other recipes!
Lovely – I like the way you have arranged the fruit and the frangipange. I made one recently with mango and banana filling and it was tasty but I liked your arrangement much better. Looks glorious:)
This looks like heaven on a plate. Could I make it the day before required and gently warm it in the oven?
Could I make this the day before and then gently reheat it in the oven?
A wonderfull recipe, but i find that when poaching the pears adding 300ml of wine and simply adding water to cover adds a little extra warmth to them and works marvalously with the spices and vanilla.
And the drained off suryp when slighty warmed makes a lovely winter evening drink.
I made this and with all the pears we are getting. I am no pastry chef, but it turned out wonderfully. We ate it warm with vanilla ice cream, but the cold slices the next day were still great.
This is stupid good.
My fabulous husband made a wicked cocktail with the syrup, vodka, orange juice and a touch of pear brandy.
Unbelievable combination – the cocktails pre dinner with the amazing aroma of poached pears and cinnamon and then the amazing dessert. This is a major go-to.
I found your recipe on a Google search for tart recipes. I used thinly sliced plum instead of poached pears for the fruit, placed on the frangipane in a pretty radial pattern. It was incredibly delicious! The crust, with the powdered sugar, ended up tasting like shortbread cookies. The frangipane baked up all golden and puffy and took on the flavor and color of the fruit. I’m saving this one for future use with lots of different fruits. Thanks!
I am poaching the pears right this very second in preparation for the tart and they smell AMAZING.
This is terrific. I love that you don’t have to roll out the pastry! Am making this for a dessert party on Friday night.
made it last night and my daughter says its one of her all time favs…. it is so yummy
thanks
for sharing
Made it twice already ………. the first time, when a chef came for dinner – he loved it and asked for a second slice. Made it for yesterday’s Easter Brunch – everybody loved it, they couldn’t believe I made it – tho’t I ordered it from a fancy French pastry shop.
lovely post. looking forward to making it this weekend. may also toss some roasted flaked almonds on top before sprinkling icing sugar.
I’m making it again for the 3rd time. I saved the pear poaching syrup from the last 2 – it’s still tastes great, even added a little limoncello. This is now my favorite dessert recipe !!! T H A N K S
Awesome recipe. I added a layer of melted chocolate(1/3 c. chocolate chips, 2 tsp. cream, melted in microwave) before I put the frangipane on. The combo of pear and chocolate with frangipane was delicious.
I made this for a party and it was a huge hit. Everyone assumed that I had bought it at a fancy french bakery and were super impressed to find out that I made it myself. There are a lot of steps, but it’s totally worth the time and effort. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Wow! This is so good. My MIL offered this to me in England a few months back (from a packet). I thought to myself, must try and make this at home. Googled the recipe and this one popped up. Made it tonight, my whole family loved it. Thank you. This is a keeper.
Thank you so much for the recipe – I have never been into making deserts despite loving cooking, but I do love frangipane (as I have always loved marzipan…) and now that I have a kitchen aid I thought I would try it. It turned out perfectly and deliciously but I did use apples instead of pears due to a dearth of pears in Vietnam at the moment. Thank you – I look forward to making it again!
I made this with fresh plums last night and it was delicious! However, my plums sunk into the frangipane and made it a bit soggy. Any suggestions for how to keep them afloat?
Thanks for the great post and beautiful photos!
Hi Julia,
Were they whole plum halves or slices? The larger the pieces, the more likely they will sink, so you could always try cutting them smaller. If they are already thin slices, you can try tossing them in a bit of flour before putting them in – it will help absorb some of the moisture and keep them up higher. Good luck!
My Aunt Karen and I made this tart for our New Year’s celebration and it was fantastic. It was smooth and silky with just the right sweetness. Follow the directions carefully, especially with the crust, which turned out like the best cookie ever. It made for a great breakfast the next day, too!
Hi,
I plan to make this recipe tomorrow or Wednesday. Does the baked tart come out of the pan prior to adding the frangipane and the pears?
The recipe looks fabulous and I cannot wait to try it.
Thanks.
Hi Kara,
No, you leave the tart in the pan and bake it after you add the pears and frangipane. You can unmold the tart after the final baking and it has cooled down. Thanks and happy baking!
Thank you for the reply. I made the tart over the course of two days…final assembly and baking was the second day. I made it in a 10 1/2 tart pan so I ended up utilizing the ‘just in case’ 3rd pear. It looked beautiful after baking. Not many people dug into it until I took one piece and started giving people a nibble. 5 minutes later the tart was all gone. I consider that a success! Thanks again for the great recipe.
Made for yesterday’s feast. Turned out great, looked great. Live the crust. Thanks
Going to run this as a special this week. Thanks for sharing the recipe~
This is my go-to recipe! I have received so many compliments on this…It’s everyone’s favorite almond tart they have ever had! I make it at least once a month….
Thanks so much Michele! Glad to hear it’s a staple for you!!
This Recipe is just Delious……will be making this Tart again..for sure ..thankyou
Maria
This recipe is so super special. I have cooked it 5-6 times. However, I lost the web link and was ‘forced’ to resort to another recipes with varting results. Thankfully I have refound you PastryGirl and your recipes. My only wish is for metric quantities to be included ..but really the extra calculation is no pain when the results are so good. Thank you for your site.
Hi Michael,
Thank you so much for your kind words and glad you found the recipe here! Most of my newer recipes have metric measurements, I have been working to add them o my older ones so I will try to get to this one soon!
As MCatt said, I have also used this recipe a number of times! It’s incredible for sure. I have adopted it a bit on my own and use skin on almonds that I roas first and keep them a bit coarser for the frangipane. It seems very rustic yet still a great constancy. Thanks!
my sweetie has made this so many times now and each time it is perfectly wonderful! plus our home and front porch smell divine!
Crystine,
Thank you so much for this wonderful note! I’m so happy it’s worked out well for you and your sweetie likes it!
Why was there no rolling out the dough in this recipe like a normal recipe? Have I got this completely mixed up?
Hello Cat,
If you look at the instructions for the tart shell, it says, “Turn the dough out into the tin and press into the bottom and up the sides with your fingers. You probably will not need all the dough – save the extra for patching the shell after you bake it. Do not press the dough too hard or it will become tough – just enough for it to form to the tin.” This dough does not need to be rolled out and can be pressed directly into the tin. This recipe does produce more dough than you need, so you can save it for another use. I’m afraid this is one of the recipes where I haven’t converted into metric, if you want to let me know what you used I can check and see if they are correct. Thanks!
I made this for Sunday Dessert and the poached pears are amazing. The crust was nice as well. I didn’t love the frangipane. It was way too sweet. Hurt your teeth too sweet. I don’t know if lessening the sugar would mess with the texture too much. But I wouldn’t make it again as it stands.
Thanks for the feedback nicolthepickle! You could try reducing the sugar for the frangipane although it isn’t meant to be a low sugar recipe. Frangipane is a sweet filling. Thanks for trying it!