Tarte Bourdaloue

Makes 5 Desserts and puddings

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Method

For the Early Grey poached pears, add the tea leaves
to 500ml boiling water in a heatproof bowl or jug and leave to infuse for 4 minutes. Strain into a large pan with the sugar and mix to dissolve - it’s important to add the sugar after the infusion.

Bring to a simmer, add the pear halves and poach for
8 minutes to start with, then check to see if they’re cooked. Depending on the variety
and size, it can take up to 18 minutes for very firm pears halves to cook through, so continue to cook if necessary, but make sure they still have some tenderness. Remove them from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and leave to drain and cool.

Lightly flour a sheet of baking paper. Press 400g pastry into a 2cm thick disc, lightly sprinkle some flour over and roll it out on the floured baking paper until it is 3–4mm thick – the thinner the better. You want the pastry to be loose on the paper.

Slide the pastry over a 23cm tart case and gently start to press it down into the case. Work your way around the edges, pressing the pastry deeper into the corners and pricking the base with a fork.Trim the top of the pastry, then put it in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the frangipane cream. Pulse the almonds, sugar and cornflour in a food processor or high- powered blender. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine until it has a creamy texture. Scoop the frangipane into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain piping tube, or cut a 1cm hole and set aside. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C F/Gas 5.

Bake the pastry case in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden – it will be baked again, but to get the best bake and flavour, the initial bake should be golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Leave the oven on. Pipe the frangipane cream into the tart case to half-fill.

Slice the pears into 3mm strips along the short length of each pear, then fan them out. Carefully lift them up with a palette knife to preserve the fanning and place them on the frangipane cream so that 5–6 halves fan out from the centre like a flower. Sprinkle some flaked almonds on the frangipane cream between the pears. Bake the tart for 15–18 minutes until the frangipane is puffed and golden, then remove
from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Brush the pears with the exotic clear glaze, if using. If you made the glaze in advance and it has cooled or been kept in the fridge, first melt it in the microwave in short bursts or in a small pan over a low heat until liquid.

Dust icing sugar over the frangipane to serve. The tart will keep, well wrapped, in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Short sweet pastry

Make a syrup by whisking the soy milk, sugars and olive oil together in a jug until the mixture is glossy and uniform in colour.

Put the flour, vanilla, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl, then pour in the syrup and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to combine the mixture together until an even dough forms.

COOK’S NOTE

For a cocoa variation, remove 45g flour and replace with 28g cocoa powder and add another 10g sugar.