Bondir's Poached Pear & Frangipane Tart Recipe

Ingredients

• Dough
• 2¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1¾ sticks cold, unsalted butter sliced lengthwise into long, thin planks
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
• Poached Pears
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated long pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ¼ cup Cocchi Americano or Lillet Blanc
• 2 Bosc pears, halved and cored
• Frangipane
• ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
• ¾ cup almond flour
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons Cocchi Americano
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Directions

1. Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Turn the mixture onto a cutting board and spread into an even layer. Set the butter planks on top of the mixture. Sprinkle some of the extra flour over the butter and then use a rolling pin to roll the butter into the dry ingredients. Use a bench knife or a metal spatula to fold the butter on top of itself. Sprinkle with more flour from the board and continue to roll and fold until the butter is completely incorporated. Sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon of water and roll it into the mixture. Fold and repeat 3 times with the rest of the water until all the water is incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
2. Make the poached pears: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat, add the sugar, star anise, long pepper and cinnamon stick and cook without stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve. Once the sugar is half melted, swirl the pan to encourage even cooking and then continue to cook the sugar, gently swirling only once or twice until the sugar mixture is an amber brown color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the Cocchi Americano and turn off the heat. Add the pear halves, cover the saucepan and gently cook the pears over medium-low heat until a paring knife easily slides into a pear, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool, then transfer the pears to an airtight container, cover and refrigerate until using. (To clean the saucepan: fill it with water, bring to a boil, cover and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. The hard sugar will dissolve in the hot water.) 3. Make the frangipane: In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons sugar, the almond flour and the salt; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the Cocchi Americano and half of the beaten egg. In another small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and the milk. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and the remaining sugar on medium-high speed until light and airy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the almond mixture and beat to combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl if needed and add the Cocchi-egg mixture; once incorporated, add the egg-milk mixture, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl if needed.
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap and place on top of a lightly floured cutting board. Sprinkle more flour on top and roll into a 20-by-15-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Set a 6-inch tart ring or cardboard round on top of the dough; use a paring knife to trace around its edge and cut out a 6-inch circle. Repeat 7 times, gathering the dough scraps and rerolling as necessary. Refrigerate the rounds on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 15 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 500°. Remove the pears from the syrup (save the syrup for serving) and slice crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices. Remove the tart dough from the refrigerator and add a heaping 2 tablespoons of frangipane to the center of each circle letting it mound in the center. Overlap the pear slices over the frangipane and then fold the edges of the dough over the pears, leaving the very center of the tart exposed. Bake the tarts until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, cool and serve warm or at room temperature and drizzled with the reserved poaching liquid.