Almond Pear Tart
recipes
This almond pear tart combines wine-poached pears and creamy frangipane inside a buttery crust for an elegant, unforgettable dessert.
November 11, 2025
Almond Pear Tart
*I reference the products I use to help you better re-create the recipe. But please note that I may earn commissions from these links.
This almond pear tart combines wine-poached pears and creamy frangipane inside a buttery crust for an elegant, unforgettable dessert.
Looking for more seasonal fruit pie recipes? You’ll love this Ginger Pie Galette and Apple Pie Cobbler.
Ingredients and Substitutions
• Pears: Firm pears—like Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou—work best. They should be ripe but firm. Very ripe soft pears will fall apart during the poaching.
Substitutions for pears
- Apples → Granny Smith, Braeburn, Honeycrisp
• Red wine: Use a dry variety such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Malbec.
• Orange: We’re using the juice and the peel for a subtle bright citrusy note. Other citrus (clementines, grapefruit, lemons) will work. But if you don’t have any, just skip it.
• Mulling spices: We’re keeping it simple with cinnamon, star anise, and clove. Use whatever you have.
Whole spice to ground conversion
- 1 cinnamon stick → 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 whole cloves → 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Almond flour: We’re using almond flour, which is made of blanched (skinless) almonds. Almond meal is made with skin-on almonds and will work just as well.
• Almond extract: This takes that almond flavor the extra mile.
• Raspberry jam: We’ll brush our finished tart with this. The red tone accentuates the color of the poached pears. I prefer Bonne Maman raspberry preserves. But you can use whatever jelly, jam, or preserve you have—strawberry, grape, apricot, marmalade, etc.
Tips for Success
- Letting the pears soak in the mulled wine overnight makes a HUGE difference in color. But for that deep ruby tone, it needs three days.
- Make a rough draft of your pear arrangement BEFORE putting them on top of the filling. This will make your life way easier, trust me.
How to Store Almond Pear Tart
Cover and store at room temperate for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can I Make this Ahead of Time?
Definitely! Place the whole tart on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Wrap in plastic, transfer to a freezer bag, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Almond Pear Tart
Ingredients
Red Wine Poached Pears
- 4 small pears peeled, halved, and cores removed (Note 1)
- 2 cups (480g) dry red wine
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 orange, peel and juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 2 whole cloves
- 2-3 cups (480g-720g) water
Pie Crust
- 1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon (174g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (85g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 tablespoons (60g) ice water
Filling and Gloss
- 10 tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cup (140g) almond flour
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5g) almond extract
- 3 tablespoons (60g) raspberry jam or preserves
- 1 tablespoon (15g) water
Instructions
For the Red Wine Poached Pears:
- In a medium pot, add the pears, red wine, sugar, orange juice and peel, and spices. Add enough water to cover the pears.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Then cover with a lid (or foil), and reduce to a simmer over medium-low. Cook until a paring knife can go easily through the pears, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the pears to a large heatproof bowl or container. Strain the the wine and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Once cool, pour over the pears, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Remove the pears from the wine and transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet pan. Pat them dry. Cut the into 1/8-inch slices (you’ll also need to remove the stems along the way). Set aside in the fridge.
- Using the removable bottom of a 9-inch tart (23 cm) tart pan, trace a circle onto a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer it to a sheet pan. This is the canvas for your design rough draft.
- Arrange the pear slices within the circle, fanning them out in a random pattern. Cover the circle completely! It’s okay if you don’t use all of the pears. Set aside in the fridge.
For the Pie Crust:
- In a food processor, add the flour, salt, and butter and pulse until the butter is broken up into small bits. Add the water and pulse until the mixture looks like crumbled dough.
- Transfer to an unfloured work surface. Gather and shape into a flat disc. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) round.
- Transfer to a 9-inch (23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll a rolling pin over the dough to trim away the excess and create clean edges. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Set the tart pan on a sheet pan and line the pastry with foil so it covers the dough entirely. Fill with dried beans or pie weights.
- Bake until the dough starts to look dry with a matte finish, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue to bake (on the sheet pan) until the crust is light golden all over, about 15 minutes (Note 2).
- Transfer the tart pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
For the Filling and Gloss:
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg and almond extract. Beat in the almond flour. Spread the filling into the cooled pie crust.
- Arrange the pear slices on top of the filling, cover the surface completely. You might not use all of the pears.
- Bake (on sheet pan) until the filling is puffed, golden, and about 1 hour. (If the edges are getting too dark, you can cover with a foil ring.) Transfer to a wire rack.
- In a small bowl, combine the raspberry jam and water. Microwave until warm, about 30 seconds. Brush the gloss onto the pears (NOT the frangipane), using it all. Let the tart cool to room temperature, about 4 hours, before serving.
Notes
- NOTE 1: Firm pears—Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou—work best.
- NOTE 2: After you remove the foil and beans and return the pastry to the oven, it should not balloon in the center. If it does, put the foil and beans back and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes before continuing.
Leave a comment & rating.