Ingredients

1 baked basic shortbread crust, cooled completely

For the spiced coffee cream:

118ml double cream
225g cream cheese
57g icing sugar
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
59ml brewed black coffee, cold

For the wavy layer design process:

1 firm red pear, such as D’Anjou
1 firm green pear, such as Concorde
1 firm yellow pear, such as Bartlett
1 firm brown pear, such as Bosc
Chef’s knife or mandoline slicer

Method

In a medium bowl, whip the double cream to soft peaks with an electric mixer. Set aside.

Combine the cream cheese, icing sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Beat with the electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain, about 1 minute. Add the coffee 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Gently fold in the whipped cream until just incorporated. Set aside.

To create the design, stand the pears stem-up and run your knife straight down to cut each into four wedges, slicing as close to the core as possible but avoiding the seeds. It’s OK if the sections vary in height, as this will lend an additional textural dimension to the tart.

Place each pear section skin-side up and cut into 1-millimetre slices. If you have a mandoline, this is a pearfect opportunity to use it, but watch your fingers! You’ll need those for this design (and every other one in the book, for that matter). The slices shouldn’t be too thick to bend, but neither should they be so thin that they are translucent. They should retain enough structure to stand upright in the cream. Keep the pear slices organized by colour as you slice.

Remove the baked and cooled shortbread crust from the pan and place it securely on a plate. Dollop the coffee cream in the centre and spread it evenly over the surface of the crust with an offset spatula, leaving a ¼-inch edge of exposed crust.

Gather 8 pear slices of one colour and lay them on their side in a slightly overlapping line on the cutting board. Carefully transfer the line of pears as a single unit and stand them skin side up in the coffee cream, curving the line slightly and using the cream to hold everything in place.

Gather 8 slices of another colour and repeat the process of organizing them in an overlapping line. Transfer this group of slices to the tart and place it adjacent to the first line of fruit, following the curve. Continue this process of fitting lines of pears – staggering the lines, varying the curves, and alternating colours – until the entire surface of the tart has been covered. You can also vary the number of slices in each line of fruit depending on the remaining space.

This tart is most visually striking when served immediately. Refrigerated leftovers after the first day will still be tasty but less appealing in presentation, as the pear slices will brown.

Topping alternative

Apples

Notes

The type of pear matters less than the colour variety, although for design variation, you can opt to limit your colour assortment.

I serve this tart right away, but if you are concerned about oxidation, mix 2 tablespoons honey in a bowl with 1 cup water and soak the pear slices for 1 minute. Drain the slices and pat dry before arranging.

Lauren Ko’s dazzling geometric tart recipes are the ultimate baking challenge