Today I am sharing a fantastic recipe by Jamie Oliver: Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart. Traditional frangipane is made with ground almonds, but a fantastic swap could be done with hazelnuts. You can make this tart all year round, but I recommend it for autumn, with the best of seasonal pears.
Pears are at their best in September through to October, that’s when they have the most flavours and taste. The variety of pears available in the supermarkets can be overwhelming. Just remember: if you’re making a pear tart, look out for firm pears that will keep their shape during baking.
I love frangipane, a sweet almond cream used to add richness and textures to pastries, cakes and tarts. Desserts that I love with frangipane include the famous New York Times Plum Torte, the Bostok brioche bread, the traditional Bakewell tart and French almond croissants!
The final touch of this recipe is the orange and vanilla-scented crunchy pastry which makes the tart utterly delicious! This Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart will definitely make you happy.
The original recipe for Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart from Jamie Cooks Italy. The cookbook by Jamie Oliver was published in 2018 and is filled with Italian recipes that deliver big on flavour and comfort.
Jamie travelled all around Italy while working on this book – together with his best friend and mentor Gennaro Contaldo. They visited different Italian regions, meeting nonnas and mammas, cooking with them and learning some of their secrets. The result, Jamie Cooks Italy, is a cookbook that celebrates the utter joy of great Italian food.
Jamie Oliver recommends serving the tart with a dollop of orange-spiked crème fraîche and crumbled toasted hazelnuts. It looks scrumptious and perfect for the autumn season!
Ingredients
Serves 12.
For the pastry
- zest of 1 orange
- 125g unsalted butter, cold
- 250g plain flour, plus more for dusting
- 50g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
For the filling
- 150g blanched hazelnuts
- 150g unsalted butter
- 150g caster sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 eggs
- 3 firm pears
- juice of 1/2 orange
Preparation
To make the pastry, finely grate the zest of 1 orange into a food processor, add 125g of butter, the flour, icing sugar, vanilla and 1 egg, then pulse until it comes together into a ball of dough. Wrap in clingfilm and pop into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Lightly oil a 25cm non-stick loose-bottomed tart tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick, then loosely roll it up around the rolling pin and unroll over the oiled tin easing and pushing it carefully into the sides. Trim off any excess and patch up any holes. Line with baking paper, then fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, bake for a further 5 minutes, then leave to cool.
For the frangipane, blitz the nuts into a fine powder in the food processor. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and orange zest. Add the eggs and combine. Finally, add the ground hazelnuts to the mixture.
Just before assembling the tart, peel the pears, quarter lengthways and remove the cores, then toss in the juice of half an orange.
Spoon the frangipane into the pastry case in an even layer, then arrange the pear quarters on top.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down for 5 minutes, before releasing the tin.
Serve warm with cream or vanilla ice cream. Alternatively cool down completely and store in an airtight container. The tart is good for a few days and can be enjoyed warm or cold.
