Ingredients
- 1 partially baked 23 cm pastry shell
- 100 g soft unsalted butter
- 120 ml Québec maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 125 g ground almonds
- 20 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ripe pears, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Method
- Heat the oven to 175 °C and brush the pear slices with lemon juice.
- Beat butter and maple syrup until smooth, then beat in eggs, almonds, flour, and vanilla.
- Spread the almond filling in the pastry shell and arrange the pears on top.
- Bake 35–40 minutes until puffed and golden; cool before slicing.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 100 g white sugar in the frangipane
Conversion used: Replace 100 g sugar with 120 ml maple syrup; add 20 g flour to stabilize the almond cream and bake 15 °C below the usual 190 °C.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple’s toasted notes reinforce almonds and ripe pears without needing a sugary glaze. The tart combines a classic French technique with a Québec ingredient.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →