French cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Tarte Bourdaloue

Shortcrust tart with almond cream and gently poached pear halves under toasted almond flakes.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 200 g flour
• 100 g soft butter
• 60 g powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 firm pears
• 220 g sugar
• 1 organic lemon
• 120 g soft butter
• 150 g ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• 50 g flaked almonds

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, powdered sugar and salt, rub in 100 g soft butter, add the egg yolk and 1 tbsp cold water, work into a smooth dough and chill for 45 min.
2. Peel and halve the pears and scoop out the core with a spoon; bring 100 g of the sugar to a boil with 500 ml water and the juice of the organic lemon, and poach the pears in it for 12–15 min until just tender, then let cool in the syrup.
3. For the almond cream, beat 120 g soft butter with the remaining sugar for 3 min until pale, stir in the 2 eggs one at a time and fold in the ground almonds.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 °C top/bottom heat, roll out the dough to 3 mm, line a 26 cm tart tin, prick it and fill evenly with the almond cream.
5. Drain the pear halves well, slice crosswise into thin slices, fan them out slightly and arrange them star-shaped, rounded side up, on the cream; sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
6. Bake the tart for 45–50 min until the cream has risen golden brown and the almond flakes are toasted, and serve lukewarm or cold.