Chocolate and Pear Frangipane Tart with Amaretto Cream

   
     What Katie Ate, is a food-photography blog out of Sydney, Australia.  I go there often for the recipes, but even more, for the inspiring photography by Katie Quinn Davies.  It doesn't matter what type of food she is showcasing; I want to make it all after viewing those delicious photos! 

    
      This Chocolate and Pear Frangipane Tart was a recent addition to What Katie Ate.  I had all the ingredients in my kitchen to make this except for the Amaretto liqueur.  I ran down to the local liquor store to pick up a bottle, and now I'm happy to say, I have enough Amaretto to also make my favorite Amaretto Cheesecake!

     The original recipe calls for sprinkling the finished tart with 1 tablespoon of Amaretto liqueur.  I eliminated that step and added the remaining Amaretto to the whipped, heavy cream.  There's no reason why you couldn't do both!  ENJOY!

                          Chocolate and Pear Frangipane Tart with AmarettoCream
                                                adapted from a recipe on What Katie Ate

• 80 grams ground almonds
• 25 grams cocoa
• 110 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 110 grams granulated sugar
• 2 medium-size eggs
• 2 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur, divided
• Chocolate pastry dough, recipe I used HERE
• 4 pears
• Whipping cream
• Confectioners' sugar

To Make the Chocolate Frangipane:
1.  In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat eggs together in a small bowl and add to the butter-sugar mixture.  Meanwhile, sieve the ground almonds and cocoa into a bowl, then add, a tablespoon at a time, to the butter-sugar-egg mixture, combining well.  Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in 1 tablespoon of the Amaretto liqueur.
To Make the Pastry:
1.  Roll out the chocolate pastry, and using a dinner plate as a template (my plate was 10 1/2-inches in diameter), cut a circle; discard excess pastry.  Place the pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Spoon the frangipane onto the pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.
To Assemble the Tart:
1.  Peel and core the pears, halve, and slice into 1/4-inch slices; arrange in a circular pattern on top of the frangipane. 
2.  Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the frangipane is set and the pears are beginning to brown.  (I baked my tart for 50 minutes, covering the top of the tart with aluminum foil the last 10 minutes.  I wanted to be sure that the chocolate pastry crust was thoroughly baked, and it was.)
To Serve:
1.  Whip the heavy cream, adding the Confectioners' sugar to sweeten and the remaining 1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur to flavor.  Serve on top of Chocolate and Pear Frangipane Tart slices.

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