Combine the water, sugar, star anise and the cinnamon stick in a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. In the meanwhile halve the pears from stem to blossom end and remove the core using a melon baller for a clean look. Also remove the fibrous cores at either end, then peel the pears.

Stir the cornstarch with a dash of the cooled cooking liquid into a paste. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil and add the corn starch paste. Cook the liquid down to yogurt thickness. Save this cooking liquid for later, because you will be using it to glaze the tart. Glaze is a thin, liquid, sweet coating that adds both shine and colour to pastries. When brushed on fresh fruit, a glaze serves as a protective coating to prevent the fruit from drying out.

I always make the dough by hand and use a large bowl (you can use a standing mixer if you want). First stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Then using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until mixture becomes crumbly. Add the egg and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. It should come together easily without being sticky. Flatten ball slightly with your hands to form a thick disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If you don’t want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to a month and then thaw overnight in the fridge.

Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out big enough to fit a 24cm tart pan lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from counter. Then place gently into the tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom) by flouring a rolling pan and rolling the dough loosely around it, then unrolling it into the pan. Brush away any excess flour on the surface. With a sharp knife, trim the edges of the pastry to fit the tart pan. Prick it all over with a fork and don't forget the sides. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until needed.

Put the flaked almonds with the sugar and the eggs in a bowl, mix and set aside.

Use the creaming method to beat the softened butter and sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Creaming is a mixing method where sugar and butter are beaten or mixed together until light, fluffy and lighter in colour. Add the ground almonds and beat on medium speed until blended, approximately 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the egg to the mixture on medium-low speed. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and add the flour and the salt. Beat on low speed until just incorporated, approximately 1 minute.

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.

Take the crust out of the refrigerator and spread the almond filling evenly inside the crust. Arrange pear halves, cut-side down, over the frangipane mixture. Start with one pear in the middle from which you have cut of the stem to make it kind of round. Then arrange the rest of the pears around the one in the middle pointing the stems to the middle. Sprinkle the edge of the tart with the flaked almonds mixture. Bake the tart until golden and tester inserted into centre of filling comes out clean. That will take about 55 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it cool down on a wire rack. Push the pan bottom up, releasing tart from pan. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the fruit with the glaze you made with the cooking liquid.

Serve as is or with a dollop of whipped cream.