Antillean pear tart

Taking its cues from the early trading years in the Dutch Antilles, this pear and lime meringue tart combines the butter and sweetness of the Netherlands with the zing of the Caribbean.

• serves

  12–16

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 200 g unsalted butter, softened
• 100 g cornflour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 300 g caster sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut liqueur, such as Malibu
• 100 ml lime juice
• 1 kg ripe pears, peeled, quartered and cored, cut into 1.5 cm thick slices
• 3 egg whites
• 150 g desiccated coconut
• 1 lime, rind finely grated

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190˚C. Grease and line a 26 cm, round springform cake tin. 

Sift the cornflour and baking powder together and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter with 150 g sugar and the vanilla until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir through the sifted cornflour and baking powder before adding the coconut liqueur and mixing to combine. Pour into the prepared cake tin, transfer to the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes until set.

Meanwhile, combine the pears and enough lime juice to coat the slices.

Remove the cake from the oven, drain the pear slices and arrange, slightly overlapping, on top of the cake. Return the cake to the oven and bake for 5–10 minutes until the pears soften slightly (it may take longer if the pears are very hard).

Meanwhile, make a meringue. Whisk the eggwhites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 150 g sugar and continue to whisk until thick and glossy. Fold through the coconut and lime rind.

Remove the cake from the oven and top with the lime meringue. Bake for a further 15–20 minutes until the meringue is lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin before slicing.

Photography by Alan Benson

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.