Children adore this crumble-filled chequerboard tart.

 

For 8 : Chequerboard pastry: 120g butter 80g icing sugar 1 egg yolk (20g) 200g sieved pl flour 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 10g siewed cocoa powder Crumble: 80g chilled butter 80g cold sieved pl flour 80g Demerara sugar 80g ground hazelnuts 4 pears 200gsugar 40g butter Décor: whole hazelnuts icin-sugar 1 round 256cm flan tin  or 1 rectangular tin 20X10cm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Pastry: This can be made the day before.
  Cream the softened butter and icing-sugar together in a large bowl.  Add the egg yolk, mixing with a fork.  Add sieved flour, mixing for no longer than a minute.  Divide dough into two parts by weight.  Flavour half with the vanilla essence and the other with sieved cocoa.  Roll out both pieces of dough between 2 sheets of baking parchment to rectangles the same size 1cm thick.  Fold back the paper to retain the edges of the dough in order to make neat rectangles.  Lay one rectangle on top of the other, sticking them together with beaten egg.  Put on baking parchment in the fridge.
• Preparing the pears: Peel and core the peas and cut into dice.  In a pan, make a caramel with the sugar and a little water.  As soon as it turns golden, lower the flame and add the butter cut into dice.  When the butter has melted, add the pears and leave to cook 2-3 mins, then turn off the heat.
• Crumble: Rub the butter and flour together in a large bowl till you get the consistency of breadcrumbs.  Add the ground hazelnuts and sugar, mixing with a fork.
  
• Pre-heat oven to 180°.
  
• Assembling the dessert:
  To make the chequerboard:  Cut strips of dough 1cm thick, sticking them together in alternating colours (see photo).  Slice the chequerboards – you should end up with 40, 2cm high each one.  Roll out the remaining pastry to make the tart base, after lining the tin with baking-parchment.
  Place the chequerboard strips around the inside edges of the tin, making sure they all touch.  Line the base with the remaining pastry, pushing it tight against the edges.  Cover the base with drained pears and sprinkle the crumble over the top, leaving a gap in the centre.
• Bake for about 20 mins until the crumble has just started to colour.
  
• Decorate with sieved icing-sugar around the centre and then whole hazelnuts.

 

 

 

This dessert can be made the previous day.