French Pear Tart

1¼ C (156 g) flour, plus more for dusting

Pinch of salt

4 T (48 g) baker’s sugar

½ C (115 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 lg egg yolks

¼ tsp (1 ml) vanilla extract

1 T (15 ml) cold water

⅓ C (76 g) unsalted butter

¾ C (144 g) sugar

3 lg eggs

¾ C (64 g) ground almonds

1½ T (12 g) flour

1/8 tsp (½ ml) almond extract

3 Anjou or Bartlett pears, firm-ripe

¼ C (80 g) apricot jam

1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice

2 tsp (10 g) slivered almonds

Sift together flour and salt; add sugar, butter, egg yolks, vanilla and water and work together gently to form a firm dough.

Cover; chill 2 hours.

Roll out gently on a lightly floured surface to cover a 9-inch (23-cm) fluted quiche or tart pan. Press dough firmly into pan, cutting off any excess, and pricking bottom several times; refrigerate 20 minutes while preheating oven to 400°F (204°C).

Cover dough with parchment; add pie weights or dry beans and bake 10-12 minutes. Lower oven to 375°F (190°C); remove paper and weights; bake 5 minutes more until golden. Cool; reduce oven to 350°F (176°C).

Cream together butter and sugar; add eggs, ground almonds, flour and extract; stir to combine.

Spoon frangipane into crust. Peel and slice pears; arrange slices attractively over frangipane. Bake 30-40 minutes or until pears are tender and lightly browned. Cool and glaze.

In a saucepan, melt jam over low; stir in lemon juice. Remove from heat and sieve mixture; brush over pears and sprinkle with slivered almonds.

Serve with crème anglaise, fresh raspberries or vanilla ice cream.