Pears in Frangipane with Toasted Lemon Thyme Sugar

This recipe is a cute little Valentine’s Day recipe for when you are short on time but want something adorable, delicious and packed with flavor. Pears in Frangipane (or any fruit in frangipane!) is one of my favorite things to make, and eating straight baked frangipane is a surprisingly delightful experience. This Pears in Frangipane recipe balances the buttery richness of the French almond cream with a lemon thyme sugar. The sugar gets all toasted on top and the pears stay all jammy, making this the perfect sink-your-spoon-into-it dessert!

What is frangipane?

Frangipane is a french almond cream. The best way to describe it is the filling that you usually find in almond croissants – a buttery, sugary mixture of almond flour and a few other ingredients so that it bakes into a smooth, cakey consistency. You also find it in tarts and other baked goods, but I love it with fruit or just on its own. It’s a rich cream, so for Pears in Frangipane, it just makes sense to balance it with a fruit!

I add all-purpose flour to mine to make it a little fluffier and cake-like, but if you want to keep it gluten-free, a gluten free flour will also give you the same consistency.

Ingredients you will need for these Pears in Frangipane

These pears are roasted and nestled into a perfect little frangipane base, and yes, you should totally be eating straight frangipane. Here is everything you need to make this:

• 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened, 84 grams
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 110 grams
• 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 cup loosely packed superfine almond flour, 98 grams
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 23 grams
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, divided
• 1 large pear, ripened (or else it will not cook properly)
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• 3 sprigs thyme

How to prepare the frangipane filling

What’s nice about a frangipane filling is it’s super simple and fast to make. I recommend using an electric mixer, but you can also do it by hand if you have enough arm strength! Just make sure your butter is properly softened.

To make the paste, in a large bowl, add 6 tablespoons of salted butter (softened) and 110 grams of granulated sugar. Beat together until light, fluffy, and pale yellow, about 3-4 minutes.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, 98 grams of almond flour, 23 grams of all-purpose flour and 1 large egg and mix until just combined. Grate in 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and smooth into the mixture with a spatula. You’ve just made frangipane!

To bake, separate the frangipane into two separate ramekins, the ones I use are heart-shaped and hold 5 ounces. This will also work in deep crème brûlée dishes. Smooth out the paste.

From there it’s time to add the pears and sugar and bake!

Where did I get my ramekins for these Pears in Frangipane?

I found my ramekins in a small shop in France, but I’ve also fallen in love with these ramekins that are very similar!

Looking for similar recipes?

We love a good Valentine’s Day dessert! Here are some other ideas from the blog:

Orange Rosemary Chocolate Cake

This cake is a rich, decadent, crusty-topped chocolate cake that is sprinkled with an orange rosemary sugar, my finest invention to date. What you are left with is a cake that tastes festive, but is supremely simple to make. The best part is it stays moist for days, although I'm sure it will be gone long before then.

Check out this recipe

Brown Butter and Bread Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

These bread flour cookies are perfectly dense, chewy and crispy on the edges, and of course, made with brown butter. If you're craving a really good chocolate chip cookie, look no further than this recipe! These cookies will change the game.

Check out this recipe

Why is this recipe in grams?

Grams is always my preference for baking, and I hope it will soon be yours, too! The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this particular recipe!

And that’s it for these Pears in Frangipane with Lemon Thyme Sugar!

If you make them, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Pears in Frangipane with Lemon Thyme Sugar

Frangipane is a french almond creme, but it bakes into a dense, dreamy cake filling that is absolutely addictive. It's rich, but I find a lemon thyme sugar perfectly balances its buttery, dense texture. A pear bakes on top to make this recipe the perfect pear-ing for any date night dinner.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 2 8-ounce ramekins

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Equipment

• ▢
  1 stand mixer or hand mixer
• ▢
  2 8-ounce ramekins

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened, 84 grams
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 110 grams
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ 1 cup loosely packed superfine almond flour, 98 grams
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 23 grams
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest, divided
• ▢ 1 large pear, ripened (or else it will not cook properly)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• ▢ 3 sprigs thyme

Instructions 

1. Set a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, add 6 tablespoons of salted butter (softened) and 110 grams of granulated sugar. Beat together until light, fluffy, and pale yellow, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, 98 grams of almond flour, 23 grams of all-purpose flour and 1 large egg and mix until just combined. Grate in 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and smooth into the mixture with a spatula. You’ve just made frangipane!
4. Separate the frangipane into two separate ramekins, the ones I use are heart-shaped and hold 8 ounces. This will also work in deep crème brûlée dishes. Smooth out the paste.
5. Halve and core the pear. Remove the stem. Slice down the side of the pear, but don’t slice into the top, creating a line of thin pieces that can fan out while still being in one piece. Press each pear half gently into the frangipane ramekins, one half per ramekin.
6. In a small dish, combine the turbinado sugar, 3 sprigs of thyme leaves (about 2 teaspoons) and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest. Press the sugar together with your fingers to activate the aroma of both the thyme and lemon zest.
7. Sprinkle this sugar on top of the ramekins, then transfer them to the oven to bake.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the frangipane fillings are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool until they are safe to touch before serving!