A gluten-free spiced pear and almond tart

It’s not as difficult to turn your favourite tart recipe into a gluten-free version as you might think. And it’s also not necessary to have fancy ingredients around to create a beautiful, simple dessert or tea-time eat. This pear and almond tart humbly proves both those things. Made with almond flour, all it needs is a pot of tea and good company.

Almond-flour-tipsy-tart-slice

Ingredients

Prep time: 25 min | Baking time: 35 min | Makes: 1 large tart

For the pastry
500 ml (2 cups) almond flour
30 ml (2 Tbsp) castor sugar
1.25 ml (¼ tsp) bicarbonate of soda
1 pinch salt
30 ml (2 Tbsp) coconut oil
1 egg
2.5 ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract

For the pears:
4 pears, peeled, halved and cored
300 ml water
½ cup/125 ml sugar
1 cinnamon stick
star anise
Szechuan peppercorns
5 ml vanilla extract

For the filling:
2 eggs
250 ml almond flour
50 ml castor sugar
200 ml cream
5 ml vanilla extract

To serve:
Icing sugar for sprinkling
Fresh mint to garnish
Mascarpone cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Start with the pastry. In a food processor, blitz all the pastry ingredients together. Add more almond flour if too wet or more water if too dry. Remove from the processor and gently work the dough together.
3. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface and line a tart dish with the pastry – press it in gently. Fill your pastry-lined tart dish with ceramic baking beans and bake for about 8 minutes or until the pastry is firm.

Almond-flour-tipsy-tart-blind-baking

Remove the beans and cook for another 4 minutes until your pastry is golden brown and biscuity.
4. Now for the poached pears. Heat the water and sugar. Add the cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns and vanilla. Add the pear halves and poach until just tender. Remove from the syrup and place into the tart.
5. In a bowl, mix the eggs, almond flour, castor sugar, cream and vanilla extract. Pour over the pears and bake in your pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tart has set.
6. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with fresh mint and mascarpone cheese.

Almond-flour-tipsy-tart

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