Tart shell
- 1 pâte feuillettée briochée (Grolet style) or pâte sucrée (→ Pâte Sucrée)
Poires pochées
- 1 kg water
- 250 g sugar
- 3 vanilla pods (or cinnamon, star anise, citrus zest)
- ½ lemon
- 4 pears (halved) + 1 decorative pear (left whole)
Crème d’amande
- 65 g butter, softened
- 65 g caster sugar
- 65 g almond powder
- 65 g eggs (1 egg — weigh it first, use same weight for all)
Crumble (optional)
- 220 g butter
- 150 g caster sugar
- 300 g flour T45
The crème d’amande tant-pour-tant uses the egg weight as the unit of measure — equal weights of butter, sugar, almond powder, and egg. The Grolet interpretation replaces the classic pâte sucrée with a feuillettée briochée base lined with cassonade, giving the bottom caramelisation and richness. The decorative whole pear at the centre is purely visual.
Method
Poach the pears
- Bring water, sugar, split vanilla pods, and lemon juice to a boil. Add the 4 halved, peeled and cored pears. Simmer 20 min covered with a cartouche, until a knife inserts cleanly. Cool in the syrup. Reserve the syrup.
- Peel the decorative pear whole, without removing the stem. Poach separately.
Tart shell
- For the Grolet feuillettée version: line the mould with parchment and buttered cassonade. Blind bake at 175 °C for 15 min with weights, then cool.
Crème d’amande
- Weigh one egg. Use that weight for butter, sugar, and almond powder (tant-pour-tant). Cream together with a whisk or paddle. Add egg gradually.
Assemble & bake
- Pipe crème d’amande into the shell. Slice the poached pear halves thinly and press into the cream. Cut the top of the decorative pear and place it at the centre. Add crumble between pears.
- Bake at 170 °C for 10–15 min until the almond cream is set.
- Brush the pastry edge with reserved poaching syrup as soon as it comes out of the oven. Once cool, glaze the decorative pear with vanilla nappage.
Background
The crème d’amande tant-pour-tant (equal weights of all ingredients) is the standard French ratio — using the egg weight as the unit simplifies scaling to any number of tartelettes. The Grolet interpretation uses a feuillettée briochée base rather than pâte sucrée, which makes the bottom richer and more layered. Lining the mould with cassonade adds caramelisation at the base.
The decorative whole pear in the centre is purely visual — it can be left out.
Mistakes I’ve Made
- Crème d’amande spreading too thin. The pears compress it — pipe generously.
- Skipping the syrup brush on the crust. The feuillettée base dries out without it.
- Poaching pears in too small a pot. They don’t cook evenly. Use a wide pan and a cartouche.
Sources
- Tarte Bourdaloue —