Pear & Almond Frangipane Tart

For pears:

Preheat oven 425 F. Slice off the bottom of each pear just enough so it will stand upright. Peel the entire pear leaving the stem intact and leaving skin at the top; pat dry with a paper towel. Rub butter over the peeled part of the pear; stand the pears in a small baking dish and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Pour wine into the baking dish, add golden syrup (you may substitute golden syrup with 1/4 cup honey or 1/4 cup maple syrup or 1/4 cup Karo syrup); and add vanilla bean paste. Stir to combine the liquid ingredients. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake until pears are soft when pierced with a knife and well browned, about 45 minutes. During the baking time, use a spoon to baste the pears occasionally with the baking juices, adding water as needed to prevent evaporation. You can make the pears a few days in advance, 2 to 3 at most.

For the toasted almonds:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread nuts in one layer on an ungreased shallow baking pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Set aside and let cool room temperature.

For the tart shell: I used a store bought shell or make your own locating a great recipe here on Tasty Kitchen.

For the almond frangipane: Preheat oven to 375F. Finely grind the toasted almonds with 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor.

Add butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar into the bowl of your electric mixer; cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and the yolk, mixing for 2 minutes more. Add the almond mixture, flour, vanilla seeds and salt, mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. You can make the almond filling up to 2 to 3 days in advance, but be sure to refrigerate it in an airtight container.

Cover the bottom of tart shell with the almond filling spreading evenly and filling the tart shell almost to the top, 3/4 full. Remove poached pears from baking dish and drain the excess liquid by patting the pears dry with a paper towel, this prevents the almond frangipane from getting too soggy. Cut each pear in half (down the length of the core), scoop out the core and remove all seeds, continue cutting the pear into 1/2 inch thick slices crosswise. Arrange sliced pears in circular layers until the tart is completely covered with pears.

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake in the center of oven on a baking sheet until golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.