Pear and Almond Tart

A long, cold January afternoon of shopping the postholiday sales in Milan found my friend and me in need of a break. Lugging our shopping bags, we retreated to Sant Ambroeus, an elegant café named for the patron saint of Milan, and found it bustling with other exhausted shoppers. We ordered pots of hot tea and pastries from the gorgeous display cases. My choice was an individual tart with a classic combination of tender, buttery almond crust, creamy almond filling, and slices of sweet ripe pear. Soon we were refreshed and fortified, ready to face any shopping challenge. Rather than making individual tarts, I bake this as a single tart large enough to serve eight. Anjou or Bartlett pears are my first choice here, though peaches or plums would be good when they are in season.

SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS:

FOR CRUST

• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons almonds (skin on), toasted
• 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR FILLING

• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 medium pears, such as Anjou or Bartlett
• Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS:

TO MAKE THE CRUST

1. Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the ground almonds (reserve the remaining almonds for the filling).
3. Use a pastry blender or two forks to blend in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour mixture and toss with a fork until blended.
5. Pat the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.

TO MAKE THE FILLING

1. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended.
2. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat well.
3. Fold in the reserved ground almonds and the flour until smooth.
4. Spread the filling evenly in the tart shell.
5. Peel the pears, cut them lengthwise in half, remove the cores, and cut them crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Hold the slices together to maintain the pear shape.
6. Slide the sliced pear halves onto the filling, with the narrow end toward the center of the tart. Press on the slices to fan them slightly.
7. Bake the tart for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown.
8. Cool the tart on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
9. Remove the rim of the tart pan and let the tart cool completely.
10. Just before serving, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.