Alison Clarke’s Festive Pear & Mincemeat Frangipane Tart

Festive Pear and Mincemeat Frangipane Tart, served on a blue plate with a slice being removed to see the filling
  • 8 servings
  • 1 hour 30 minutes plus cooling time to prepare
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Ingredients

  • For the pastry
  • 1 packet readymade shortcrust pastry (sweet or plain)
  • For the frangipane filling
  • 2oz caster sugar
  • 2oz ground almonds
  • 1/2oz self raising flour
  • 1 medium egg, beaten
  • Almond essence / extract
  • To assemble
  • 1/2 jar mincemeat
  • To decorate
  • Apricot jam
  • 1 pear
  • Gold glitter / lustre

Instructions

Alison Clarke, our St Annes colleague, has created this elegant festive mincemeat frangipane tart, ideal for using up any leftover mincemeat.

For the Pastry case

  1. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C/180⁰C fan/gas mark 6. Grease an 8″ fluted tin.
  2. Roll out the pastry to approximately 4mm thick. Remember to roll it larger than your tin to allow for the sides.
  3. Carefully line the tin with the pastry and gently push the pastry into the sides.
  4. Trim the pastry so it is slightly bigger than the tin (allowing for shrinkage). Prick the base with a fork. Allow to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  5. Line the pastry case with foil and fill with baking beans (or rice).
  6. Place in the oven and bake ‘blind’ for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and baking beans then return the flan tin to the oven and bake the empty pastry case for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool.
  7. Reduce oven temperature to 180⁰C/160⁰C fan/gas mark 4 for the frangipane layer.

For the Frangipane Mixture

  1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy.
  2. Add a spoonful of ground almonds and beat in. Add a little beaten egg and beat in.
  3. Keep adding a spoonful of ground almonds and a little beaten egg until both are used up and well beaten into the mixture.
  4. Add a few drops of almond essence or extract to the mixture.
  5. Sift in the flour and fold into the mixture until all the ingredients are mixed together.

For the Pear

  1. Thinly slice one pear and bake in the oven at 180°C/gas mark 6 for 12 minutes. Once cool, dust with a little edible gold lustre.

To Assemble

  1. Spread a thin layer of mincemeat over the base of the pastry case.
  2. Spoon the frangipane mixture on top of the mincemeat and spread out evenly so it covers the base.
  3. Place in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes until the pastry case and filling are golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
  4. Mix a couple of tablespoons of apricot jam with a few drops of warm water or lemon juice and brush the glaze over the top of the tart using a pastry brush.
  5. Place the pear slices on top.

Serve with Amaretto cream and/or ice cream.

 

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