Amandine Bourdaloue Questions

My pears are still quite firm - can I use them anyway?

The recipe calls for ripe pears because they turn tender in the roughly 35 minutes of baking; firm ones stay crunchy and taste flat next to the sweet frangipane. If yours are underripe, slice them thinly so they fan out and soften faster, and leave hard pears a few days at room temperature before baking. Very ripe, watery pears are the opposite problem - they release juice into the filling, so aim for fragrant but still sliceable.

Can I swap the ground almonds for something else?

Ground almonds carry both the pastry and the frangipane here, so they are hard to replace without changing the tartlets. Ground hazelnuts work as the closest substitute in both the 25 g in the dough and the 75 g in the filling, giving a darker, nuttier tartlet - swap the sliced almonds on the edges to match. Do not replace them with flour: the frangipane relies on the nuts for its texture and would set dry and cakey.

Can I prepare anything a day ahead?

Yes - the pastry is the part that benefits most. Make the dough, line the eight 8 cm tins and keep them chilled overnight instead of only the 30 minutes stated; cold, rested pastry holds its shape better in the oven. The frangipane can also be creamed a day ahead and refrigerated, but let it soften before spooning it in so it spreads evenly. Only the pears should wait: peel, halve and core them just before baking, as the recipe says to use them immediately so they don't brown.

Why did my frangipane spill over the edge?

That is the mistake the recipe warns about: the filling puffs up as it bakes, so overfilled shells run over and glue the tartlets to the tins. Spoon the frangipane in evenly and stop well below the rim of each shell - the pear slices and sliced almonds sit on top and need room. If you have filling left over, it is better to have a little spare than eight overflowing tartlets.

How do I store the baked tartlets and keep the pastry crisp?

Keep them at room temperature under a loose cover rather than sealed airtight, since trapped steam from the pears softens the crust. They are best on the day they are baked; from the second day the base gradually loses its snap, and a few minutes in a warm oven crisps it up again. The apricot jam or maple syrup glaze also helps, as it seals the pear surface and keeps the fruit from drying out.