Poached Pear and Frangipane Tart Recipe for Elegant Dessert

This is the kind of dessert you make when you want to wow guests without spending all day in the kitchen.

To be clear — this tart isn’t as quick as a batch of cupcakes or a skillet cookie, but it doesn’t require professional training either. The components are simple: a tender all‑butter pastry, almond frangipane, and wine‑poached pears.

If you have limited pastry experience, this is a great recipe to try. The dough comes together easily in a stand mixer, the frangipane is blended in a food processor, and the pears are simply sliced and simmered in wine.

Once assembled and baked, the tart delivers that “wow” factor. It’s best enjoyed the day it’s made, though each component—the dough, frangipane, and poached pears—can be prepared ahead of time.

xo

-Rebecca

Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe

The recipe card lists ingredients by component (tart dough, frangipane, poached pears) to make prep easier. Below is a consolidated overview of what you’ll need:

• Unsalted butter. The crust is all‑butter for flavor and crispness—use unsalted so you control the salt level.
• All-purpose flour. Preferably unbleached.
• Granulated sugar. For the dough, frangipane, and poaching liquid.
• Baking powder and a pinch of salt.
• Heavy cream. Adds richness and tenderness to the dough.
• Bosc pears. Firm and hold their shape when poached and baked.
• Semi-sweet white wine (about 1 bottle) and dry red wine (about 1 bottle). Choose wines you enjoy drinking—good flavor translates into good poached pears.
• An orange. Strips of peel in the poaching liquid add subtle citrus notes.
• Vanilla and almond extracts.
• Dry-roasted, unsalted almonds and almond paste.
• Eggs: 1 large egg plus 1 yolk for the frangipane.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Step 1: Make the tart dough

Place the butter in the freezer for about 20 minutes until very cold but not frozen solid. In a stand mixer bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer running on low, add the partially frozen butter a few pieces at a time. Mix until no butter pieces are larger than a kidney bean.

Still on low speed, add the heavy cream, then add just enough ice water to bring the dough together.

Wrap the dough into a disk, chill for at least 2 hours, and up to 2 days.

Step 2: Prepare the wine-poached pears

Pour red wine into one saucepan and white wine into another. Add sugar, a pinch of salt, and strips of orange peel to the red wine.

Peel the pears and cut each into 8 slices.

Bring both wines to a simmer, add the pear slices (divide evenly between the pans), and let them simmer gently for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pears cool in the liquid.

Remove pears to drain on paper towels.

Reduce the white wine poaching liquid over medium-high heat until it measures about ½ cup, then stir in vanilla and let cool. This becomes the glaze.

Step 3: Prepare the frangipane

Frangipane (almond cream) is made from ground almonds, almond paste, sugar, butter, and eggs. It’s used as a rich filling for tarts, cakes, and other pastries.

Process almonds and sugar in a food processor until roughly ground (no pieces larger than a pea).

Add the remaining frangipane ingredients and process until smooth and homogeneous.

Step 4: Assemble and bake the tart

Roll the chilled pastry and fit it into a tart pan, pressing into the corners. Cover and freeze for 20 minutes.

Scatter the frangipane in golf-ball-sized pieces across the tart and press into an even layer.

Arrange pear slices over the frangipane in the pattern you like—herringbone, concentric circles, or a simple overlapping row.

Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, reduce to 400°F and bake 15 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake 20 minutes more.

Let the tart cool completely, then brush the pears with one or two coats of the white wine glaze and serve.

Tips for Perfect Pastry

Keep the pastry cold. Cold butter creates pockets of fat that melt in the oven and produce a light, flaky crust. If the butter melts into the flour before baking you’ll end up with a dense texture, so work quickly and chill when instructed.

Do not overmix. A few small butter pieces in the dough are desirable because they create flakiness. Mix just until the dough holds together.

How to Bake a Tart with an Extra Crispy Crust

You can partially pre-bake (blind bake) the crust for an extra-crisp bottom. If you leave it unbaked, the crust will be tender but still hold slices neatly.

Tips for Making and Storing Poached Pears

Poached pears are wonderful on their own. The method is simply peeling, slicing, and simmering pears in wine with sugar and citrus.

The pears keep for up to a week if stored in their poaching liquid in the refrigerator, so you can make them ahead.

What to Do with the Leftover Pear Poaching Liquid

I poach half the pears in white wine and half in red for contrast and flavor. Both poaching liquids reduce down to a delicious syrup once the alcohol cooks off.

Reduce the white wine liquid to a glaze for brushing over the finished tart. The remaining red and white reductions keep in the refrigerator and are fantastic drizzled over ice cream, pancakes, cake, or even stirred into cocktails.

My favorite use for the leftover syrup

Drizzle it over ice cream-stuffed profiteroles. The syrup pairs beautifully with the buttery choux and cold ice cream.

How to Arrange the Pears on this Tart

Using red and white pears lets you create an attractive pattern. You can do a herringbone, concentric circles that resemble petals, or any design you like.

For a herringbone look, place slices core-side down at a 90-degree angle, pressing them gently into the frangipane and alternating colors. Tuck the ends under the previous row as you build outward.

The pears remain sturdy after poaching, so you can lift and rearrange them if the pattern needs adjustment.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

The tart is best the day it’s baked, but components can be made ahead for easier assembly:

• Pastry dough: up to 2 days in the refrigerator (tightly wrapped) or frozen up to 2 months.
• Frangipane: up to 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container.
• Poached pears: up to a week in their poaching liquid refrigerated.

With components prepared, assembling and baking the tart is quick and simple.

If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it goes—leave a comment or rating.

Happy baking!