Pear tart recipe

This tart has it all; light sweet pastry, caramelised fruit and a warm tasty filling. And, being entirely home made, it will never fail to impress

Ingredients

• Caramelised pears: 4 pears, peeled and halved
• 50g (2oz) butter
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar

Pastry:

• 225g (8oz) plain flour
• 100g (3 1/2oz) unsalted butter
• 25g (1oz) caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk, to bind, if required

Filling:

• 225g (8oz) butter
• 225g (8oz) caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 50g (2oz) plain flour

Method

1. Melt the butter with the sugar in a large pan. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has become a golden-brown caramel.
2. Add the pear halves and cook until caramelised all over. Remove from the heat.
3. For the pastry, place the flour, butter and sugar into a food processor and pulse together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rub the butter into the sugar and flour with your fingers.
4. Add the egg and stir until the mixture just comes together as a dough. Add a little milk if required.
5. Roll the dough to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 40 mins.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
7. Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap. Roll the pastry out on a clean, floured work surface to line a 20cm/8in pie tin. Transfer to the oven to bake for ten minutes, or until golden-brown.
8. For the filling, mix the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy.
9. Add one egg at a time to the butter mixture and mix well, before adding the next until all the eggs are mixed into the butter and sugar.
10. Add the plain flour and mix well to combine.
11. Spoon the filling into the baked pastry tin and press the caramelised pear halves into the filling, so that they are half-submerged.
12. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 mins, or until the filling is cooked through.