Modes

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 Tablespoon heavy cream

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

Poached Pears

• 3 pears, slightly underripe, peeled, halved, and cored

• 3 strips lemon zest

• 4 cups cranberry juice

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 6 whole cloves

• 1 cinnamon stick

Frangipane

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1 1/3 cups ground almonds

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 5 eggs, at room temperature

Instructions

For the Crust

Combine the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk well. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and blend briefly. Cut the butter into small cubes and scatter over the flour mixture, then pulse the processor 12 to 15 times, until the mixture resembles cornmeal. With the machine running, slowly pour the cream mixture down the feed tube and process for another 10 seconds. Remove the dough from the processor and gather it into a thick disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour. Allow the dough to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling.

Preheat a Wolf Convection oven to 350 degrees in Bake mode with a rack in position #3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. Line a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with the dough and trim the edges so they slightly exceed the height of the pan. If you have any thin spots on the sides of the pan, use some of the excess dough to press into the spot and adhere it to the dough. Place the pan on a sheet pan and freeze for 30 minutes. Then line the pan with a heavy layer of aluminum foil and fill the foil to the brim with sugar. Blind bake the shell for 30 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and sugar. Cool on a rack until ready to fill the tart.

Poached Pears

In a small saucepan, combine the lemon zest, juice, and sugar and bring to a boil. Once it has boiled, add the extract, spices, and pears. Place a plate on top of the pears and boil over high heat for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and poach until the pears are tender, about 30 minutes. Cool the pears in the poaching liquid.

Frangipane Filling

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until very soft and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, almonds, and flour to the butter and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until the yolk is incorporated before adding the next egg. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Assemble and Bake

Spread the almond mixture across the bottom of the tart shell. Slice the pear halves crosswise and arrange them like the spokes of a wheel on top of the filling. Return the tart to the oven and bake until the filling is set, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.