Ingredients :

• The pears — Williams or Conference are the classic choices. Williams are sweeter and more fragrant, while Conference are firmer and less temperamental to poach. Avoid overripe pears: they break down during baking and you’ll end up with pear sauce on your tart.
• Almond flour/meal — Use ordinary ground almonds from the supermarket, not ultra-fine almond flour. The slightly grainy texture gives the cream character. If you have whole almonds on hand, you can blend them yourself — the result is even more fragrant.
• The butter — It must be truly soft, not melted. High stakes here: soft butter incorporates by creaming, while melted butter makes the mixture liquid and oily. Take it out two hours before starting, that’s all.
• The vanilla — A pod for the poaching syrup is ideal. Vanilla extract also works very well. What you want to avoid is synthetic vanillin powder — it leaves a chemical aftertaste that surfaces during baking.