For these types of recipes, it is worth choosing firm, compact, and relatively hard pears, which will soften after boiling in syrup but will not fall apart, while baking them on top of the almond filling will make them a melt-in-the-mouth autumnal delight.

Ingredients

Pastry base:

• 200g sifted wheat flour
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• 150g cold butter
• 1 egg yolk
• vanilla extract

Pears:

• 1.5 liters of water
• 2 cups of sugar
• cinnamon stick
• star anise
• 2 cloves
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• thinly peeled zest of a whole lemon
• 3 large dessert pears

Filling:

• 100g soft butter
• 100g sugar
• 100g ground almonds
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• vanilla extract

Prepare the dough for the base. Mix the flour with icing sugar, add the cold butter cut into cubes. Chop (this can be done in a food processor) until a "sand" texture is formed, add salt, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, and knead quickly. The dough should be pliable. Line the tart tin with it – both the bottom and the sides. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line the chilled base with baking paper and fill with beans. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove, take off the weights and paper, and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool the finished base.

Peel the pears thinly, leaving the stems attached. Remove the bottom with a thin knife. Pour water into a large pot, add sugar, spices, thinly peeled lemon zest, and juice. Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, then add the pears and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until they are soft inside but still firm and not falling apart. Leave the pears in the syrup to cool completely.

We prepare the almond mass. Cream the sugar with the butter until fluffy, add 1 egg, mix thoroughly until completely combined with the mass, then add a portion of the ground almonds. Add the 2nd egg and repeat the entire process until all the eggs and all the almond flour are mixed in. Finally, add the flour and vanilla extract.

Spread the almond mass onto the chilled base. Level it with a spatula. Thoroughly drain the pears from the syrup, cut off the stalks, and slice them in half lengthwise. Gently remove the seed cores. Cut each pear half lengthwise into thin slices and transfer them whole onto the tart.

Bake the tart at 180°C for 40 minutes until the almond mass is golden brown. If the edges of the tart brown too quickly, you can cover them with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning.