Matt Preston's Pear and Almond Tart

250g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

120g unsalted butter, cold

75g icing sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tbs iced water

Filing

225g flaked almonds

225g unsalted butter, room temp

225g caster sugar

2 eggs

4 ripe Packham pears

Place flour and salt in food processor, add cold butter and pulse till resembles bread crumbs. Add icing sugar and pulse till combined, add egg yolks and pulse again.  Dough should combine and start to come away from the side. If the dough is too dry, add water bit by bit till comes together.

Wrap dough into disk sharp in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for an hour.

Preheat oven to 180 and butter and flour loose bottomed 28cm tart tin.

Roll dough quickly (don't overwork) to 4mm thick. Gently lift and put in tin and press down sides.

Cover with foil and blind bake for 20min until light brown. Remove from oven.

Reduce oven to 160.

For filing, place almonds in food processor till coarse sand, not too fine. In separate bowl, cream butter and sugar til pale and light. Add almonds and blend. Beat in eggs one at a time.  You should have thick almond cream that can be scooped out with spoon.

Peal and core and halve pears. Place one in centre and rest on circle facing inwards. Place almond cream around pears, leaving space between rim and pears so filing has room to spread.

Bake tart for 40 min or till golden drown.

Can make 2 days in advance.