While vacationing in Paris, I fell in love with the delicious fruit tarts. Here is my whole grain, sugar-free version with a fragrant frangipane filling made in the classic tradition using finely ground almonds. Now you can indulge and feel great afterwards. C’est magnifique.

　　

Ingredients

serves 12

　　Sweet Pastry Crust (page 76), pressed into a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom and prebaked for 10 minutes

　　

FILLING

4 tablespoons unsalted butter or nonhydrogenated butter substitute, at room temperature

　　1/3 cup light agave nectar

　　2 large eggs

　　1/2 cup almond meal

　　1/2 teaspoon almond extract

　　2 tablespoons Kirsch

　　

TOPPING

4 ripe Bartlett pears

　　2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　1 1/2 tablespoons light agave nectar

　　3 tablespoons juice-sweetened apricot jam

　　Sinfully Rich Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (page 82), Soy Vanilla Ice Cream (page 83), or Agave Nectar Whipped Cream (page 113), for garnish (optional)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

　　

Step 2

To make the filling, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and agave nectar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat again. Add almond meal, almond extract, and Kirsch. Beat well. Pour into the prebaked tart crust.

　　

Step 3

To make the topping, peel and halve the pears, drizzling with the lemon juice as you go to keep them from turning brown. Slice each pear half into thin slices, keeping them together at the stem end (do not cut through). Fan out the pears slightly and place each over the filling in a circular pattern. Drizzle the agave nectar over the pears and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until they turn a light golden brown.

　　

Step 4

Warm the apricot jam in a saucepan over low heat and brush or drizzle over the pears. Let the tart cool slightly. It’s best served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

　　

VARIATION

Step 5

Apricot Frangipane Tart: When in season, substitute fresh ripe apricots for the pears for a special treat. Depending on the size, 8 to 10 apricots should be sufficient to cover a 10-inch tart. Cut the apricots in half and place, cut sides down, over the filling. Bake as directed above.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.