Chocolate tart with pears and pecans

To prepare the chocolate tart with pears and pecans, start with the shortcrust pastry. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the cold butter from the refrigerator cut into small pieces 1 along with the powdered sugar 2 and turn on the mixer until you get a cream. Add the egg yolk, making sure it incorporates into the dough, then add the all-purpose flour 3,

the sifted almond flour 4 and a pinch of salt 5. Continue with the paddle attachment, then transfer the dough to a work surface, working it quickly just long enough to compact it 6.

Form a dough ball, flatten it slightly, and place it in the refrigerator to firm up for at least 30 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap 7. In the meantime, take the pears and peel them; cut them in half, remove the stem, then cut them into 8 wedges 8 and remove the core 9.

Heat a large non-stick pan with the water and muscovado sugar 10. Let it melt over medium heat; when the sugar reaches a simmer, turn off the heat and add the butter 11. Once it has completely melted, add the pear wedges to the pan 12: let them caramelize slightly for about 1 minute, turning them occasionally. Set aside and keep the leftover caramel, as you will need it later.

After the necessary time has passed, take the shortcrust pastry dough and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface into a disc 1/8 inch thick 13. Roll the pastry disc you obtained around the rolling pin and gently unroll it over a 10-inch diameter tart pan previously buttered 14 (if the dough tends to crumble, you can place the dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and proceed to roll it out with the rolling pin). Press the bottom and sides gently with your fingers 15,

then remove the excess dough with a small knife 16. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork 17 and bake in a preheated static oven at 375°F for about 20 minutes (or at 340°F for 10 minutes if using a convection oven). Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool 18.

In the meantime, prepare the chocolate flan: chop the dark chocolate 19 and heat a small saucepan with the milk and heavy cream. Split a vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a knife; add the seeds and the whole bean to the milk and cream mixture 20. In a separate small bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar. Remove the bean with kitchen tongs 21, then

pour the hot milk and cream over the egg and sugar mixture, stirring to combine all the ingredients well 22. Pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate, mixing with a whisk 23: if bubbles form, you can remove them with a spoon. At this point, you can arrange the caramelized pears in a circular pattern on the pastry base with the back facing outward and the thinner part towards the center 24.

Pour the reserved caramel, then add the flan 25, distributing it evenly over the entire tart 26. Bake in a preheated static oven at 300°F for about 40 minutes (or at 265°F for 30 minutes if using a convection oven): 5 minutes before the end, distribute the pecans with the smoother side up on the dark chocolate flan 27 and finish baking. Once ready, remove the tart from the oven and let it cool completely; finally, you can serve and enjoy your chocolate tart with pears and pecans.