This recipe might seem very difficult to follow, and it does need a bit of practise to make perfect. But it is spectacular to look at & delicious to eat. So start practising!

BASIC SHORT-SHORT SWEET PASTRY:

1½ cup flour                                       

½ tsp. salt

3 tbsp. sugar                                       

¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes

2 tbsp. vinegar--more or less

Using a food processor fitted with steel blade, process the flour, sugar and salt a few seconds. Add the chilled butter and process with on/off pulses until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With machine running, drizzle vinegar through feed tube and process with on/off pulses until mixture just begins to come together. Do not over process.

Transfer dough onto a large piece of wax paper. Gather the corners & sides of the paper together and gently press the dough into a ball. Knead with hands a couple of times only to combine the ingredients. Flatten ball of dough out into a large round flat shape & rest it in fridge for 10 minutes.

It is now ready to be rolled out to fit a 9-inch tart case. Refrigerate roll-out dough in tart case for at least 30 minutes before putting in fillings.

Pastry can be used to make sweet tarts and flans.

 

PEAR AND ALMOND CREAM TART:

short-short sweet pastry

Filling:

    ¾ cup-packed ground almond                               

    6 tbsp. sugar

    5 oz butter, cut into cubes & chilled                                     

    1½ egg yolk + 3 egg whites

    1-2 drops of almond extract                                 

    3 firm pears

    lemon juice to brush pears

Glaze:             

    1 tbsp brandy or cold water                       

    3 tbsp peach jam, strained  

Roll pastry out, between 2 pieces of waxed paper, to between 1/8 & ¼-inch thickness. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to rest and firm up the dough slightly. Peel off the top piece of wax paper & flip the dough onto a 9-inch flan case with removable bottom. Peel off the other piece of wax paper. Fix & adjust the dough to cover the bottom & all around the flan case, with small amount of excess pastry dangling over the edges. Check edges to make sure the dough is of even thickness all around the circumference. Roll the rolling pin across the top of the flan case to cut off excess pastry. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before filling.                  

Peel pears, half and core them and brush them with lemon juice. If pears are too firm, place them in a microwavable container and microwave them for 2-3 minutes on high power. Place each pear half, cut-side down, on the cutting board. Use a small paring knife, and starting from the narrow top end of one pear, slice thinly & evenly crossways all the way along the length of the pear to the bottom end. Repeat the cutting process with the other five pieces of pear-halves.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In food processor with steel blade attached, process ground almonds and sugar together for a few seconds. Add butter and process until creamy, and then add egg yolks and egg white and almond extract. Pulse on/ off a few times to mix well. Pour the filling into the pastry case and spread it out evenly.

Slide a large flat pastry cutter under one pear half; and with the pear sitting securely on the cutter, press down gently to separate the cut pieces slightly while retaining the original pear shape. Make a mark in the filling to divide the tart into 6 equal portions. Carefully slide & transfer pear half to the filling to cover the first marked line, with the narrow top end facing the middle, and larger bottom end next to the edges of the circle. Repeat the process with the other 5 pear halves, placing them on the filling like spokes of a wheel. 

Transfer tart carefully to hot oven. Bake tart for 50 to 55 minutes or until the filling is set & the pastry is well browned. Transfer tart to a wire rack.  Warm the brandy or water with the jam & mix well, straining off large bits. Brush mixture over the pears & filling to glaze while tart is hot. Serve warm.

VARIATION:  ALMOND CREAM TART:  Prepare as before but omit the pears.