This beautiful and delicious tart is quick and easy to make can be served warm out the oven or at room temperature for picnics and lunch boxes.

Tart
300g puff pastry
1 egg yolk beaten with 2T water to glaze
2-3 medium pears peeled, halved, cored and thinly sliced.

Sugar syrup
50g castor sugar
50ml water
1cinnamon stick
2star anise
Juice of 1 lemon

Frangipane
75g butter softened
75g icing sugar
1 medium egg lightly beaten
75g ground almonds
2T plain flour
½ t almond essence

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C
2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 5mm thickness and place in a 20cm tart tin so that the base and sides are covered and trim away any excess pastry. Brush the rim with glaze and allow to rest while making the filling.
3. Place all the sugar syrup ingredients in a small pot and place on a low heat, until the sugar has dissolved then increase the heat and allow to simmer for ±10 minutes until thickened and allow to cool.
4. Beat the egg and sugar together and slowly add in the egg once fully incorporated add the flour, almonds and almond essence and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
5. Gently mix the cooled sugar syrup into the pears and leave for a few minutes to macerate.
   Pour the frangipane mix into the pastry shell and spread out evenly, drain the pears and arrange on top in a concentric circle.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 34-45 minutes or until pears are tender and filling is golden brown.
7. Brush over remaining syrup and allow to cool.

Serve with crème fraiche or vanilla ice-cream.

Serves 4-6

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood cooking school runs Johannesburg cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Cooking courses are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.