Pears are in season throughout the month, and we can’t think of a better way to use them than in this dessert. Share with friends or keep it all to yourself.

Pear and Almond Tart

(Serves 6)       Time: 2 hrs 15

Ingredients

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

1. Pastry

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

1. Filling

• 225g (8oz) butter
• 225g (8oz) caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 50g (2oz) plain flour
• 50g flaked almonds (from the packaging free wall)

Method

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

Add the pear halves and cook until caramelised all over. Remove from the heat

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

Add the egg and stir until the mixture just comes together as a dough. Add a little milk if required

Roll the dough to form a ball. Wrap in a beeswax wrap and chill in the fridge for 40 mins

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

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

For the filling, mix the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy

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

Add the plain flour and flaked almonds, mixing well to combine

Spoon the filling into the baked pastry tin and press the caramelised pear halves into the filling, so that they are half-submerged

Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 mins, or until the filling is cooked through