Ingredients

Pâte Sucrée, blind baked into a 9-inch (23-cm) tart shell or use a store-bought pre-baked tart shell.
• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2½ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
Almond Frangipane
• 1 cup (100 g) almond flour, preferably
• very fine
• 3?4 cup + 2 tbsp (100 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp (10 g) cornstarch
• ½ tsp salt
• 7 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly
• 3 ripe but firm pears, thinly sliced (Anjou pears work well)
• Crème Chantilly, for serving (optional)

Method

Pâte Sucrée
1. Sift together the powdered sugar and salt into a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on low speed with the sifted powdered sugar for about 2 minutes, until the butter is pale.
2. Add in the egg and vanilla extract, beat it on medium speed for 2 minutes and scrape down the sides of the bowl. It will look separated, but it will come together once you add the flour. When creaming the butter with the sugar and eggs, avoid incorporating too much air or the dough will crumble easily when you roll it out. The goal is to make a flexible and pliable dough to form into your tart pans.
3. Mix in the flour at low speed for 30 seconds, or until there is no more dry flour and a dough starts to form. Avoid over-mixing the dough, otherwise it will shrink when baked and yield a tough pastry.
4. Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface, gather and form it into a disk, wrap it in plastic and let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. You can also make this up to 3 days in advance.
5. Roll out the tart dough to about 12 inches (30.5 cm), about 4 mm in thickness. Line the tart ring or pan, trim off the excess. Blind bake the pâte sucrée into a 9-inch (23-cm) tart shell at 350 F with pie weights, and 10-15 more minutes after you remove the weights. Cool the tart shell before filling.
Almond Frangipane
6. Sift the almond flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt into a medium bowl.
7. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with a rubber spatula until soft, then add in the sifted almond flour and sugar mixture. Continue mixing the ingredients by hand until everything is incorporated. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until the frangipane is fluffy.
8. Transfer the finished frangipane to a clean container or directly into a piping bag, and store it in the fridge until ready to use. You can make this up to 3 days in advance.
9. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
10. Leave your baked tart shell inside the ring or tart pan. When you bake the tart with the filling, it will expand, so the tart ring will keep your pastry in shape. Pipe or fill the shell with the frangipane using an offset spatula. Level off the frangipane and top with the sliced pears. I did the classic design of fanned slices, but you can arrange them to your liking.
11. Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. It is done when the top of the frangipane is a golden color. Cool the tart before serving. Though perfect on its own, it is also delicious served with a side of Crème Chantilly or vanilla ice cream.

Notes