Rhubarb and pear dartois

1.For frangipane, beat sugar, butter and vanilla seeds in a bowl with a wooden spoon until creamy, then beat in egg. Stir in almond meal, flour and amaretto and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.

2.For rhubarb-pear filling, stir pear, lemon juice and rind, and 100gm sugar in a saucepan over high heat until sugar dissolves, bring to the boil and cook until a thick syrup forms (3-4 minutes). Add rhubarb and simmer until rhubarb is almost tender and still holding its shape (2-4 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill. Strain syrup into a saucepan, returning fruit to the bowl. Add cornflour and remaining sugar to syrup and bring to the boil, whisking, and cook until syrup is thickened (2 minutes). Pour syrup over rhubarb and pear, and refrigerate to cool completely (30 minutes).

3.Cut 9 rounds from pastry sheet with a 9cm cutter, then reroll scraps and cut 3 more (use these for bases) and refrigerate on a trays lined with baking paper to firm up (20 minutes). To make lattice tops, working with a round at a time and keeping remaining refrigerated, cut a row of 1cm-long slits about 1cm apart, leaving 1.5cm from the edges. Make another row next to it, with the slits spaced between those of the first row. Repeat to cover round, then refrigerate to chill (30 minutes). Repeat with 5 more rounds.

4.Working with a pastry round at a time, keeping remaining refrigerated, spread with frangipane, leaving a 1.5cm border. Drain tablespoonfuls of fruit mixture and place on frangipane. Brush border with eggwash, then gently pull apart a pastry top and place over filling. Press around edge to seal, then trim with pastry cutter to neaten and refrigerate while you make remaining dartois.

5.Preheat oven to 200C. Brush pastries with eggwash and bake until golden brown and crisp (25-28 minutes). Serve warm with cream.