Pear, frangipane and amoretti flan

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We love this frangipane tart as it combines flav0urs from the North and the South of Italy: almonds from Sicily and the amaretto from Lombardy. There's no need to blind bake the pastry first. Serve with pouring cream or a mixture of mascarpone and double cream and few tablespoons of amaretto liqueur.

Ingredients

  • 150g butter, softened
  • 200g plain flour
  • 100g caster sugar
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped or 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

For the frangipane

  • 150g butter, softened
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 150g ground almonds
  • 15g plain flour
  • 30ml amaretto
  • 2 amaretti biscuits, crushed 2-3 large ripe pears

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180OC/fan 160C( gas 4)
  2. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lemon zest and vanilla seeds or extract.
  3. Stir in the egg, until the mixture comes together as a smooth ball. Cover in cling film and chill for 1 hour.
  4. Roll out the pastry to about the thickness of a pound coin and use to line a 23cm round loose-bottomed, fluted flan tin.
  5. For the frangipane filling, mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, ground almonds, flour and amaretto to a smooth paste in a mixing bowl.
  6. Add half the crushed amaretti biscuits.
  7. Spoon the filling into the pasty case.
  8. Peel and quarter the pears and arrange on the filling.
  9. Sprinkle the remaining amaretti biscuit over the centre and bake for about 35-45 minutes.
  10. Serve hot or cold with cream.

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