Ingredients

Pate Sucree

all purpose flour 500g

butter 200g

icing sugar 200g

salt, a pinch

whole eggs, 2

Almond Cream

ground almonds 125g

icing sugar 125g

butter 125g

all purpose flour 25g

whole eggs, 2

Poached Pears

3 pears

1/3 C white sugar

2/3 C water

cardamom seed and/or star anise seed

Peel pears, cut in half and remove stem and seeds. Add sugar and cool water together and stir until dissolved. Then add pears to cool syrup. Add spices and then bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let pears and syrup cool. Remove pears and slice on a cutting board and use a spatula to pick up slices together and while on spatula gently push down to form fanned slices and then slide off onto tart.

Preparation

Pate Sucree (make ahead) preheat oven to 375F. Mix in a blender the first four ingredients until small balls form. Then add eggs. When fully mixed put on countertop and knead with the palm of your hand. Then form a ball and put in fridge for at least an hour. Can be made ahead and frozen. Remove from fridge or freezer and let come to room temperature. Then roll out and blind bake in pie plate for 10 mins at 375F.

Almond Cream Cream the butter in a mixer with a paddle until fluffy. Add all of the other ingredients and mix until completely smooth. Add a shot of rum if you like. Fill the blind baked pie shell 1/2 full with almond cream and top with poached pear. Bake the tart at 350F until golden on the top. About 30 mins and then dust with icing sugar and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.