Free-Form Pear & Almond Tarts

Ingredients 

2 x 24cm sheets Puff pastry or 320g (rolled thinly)
3/4 cup (70g) ground Almonds
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Almond essence
1 Egg white
4 just-ripe Pears (halved and cored)  

To Glaze  

2 Tbsp apricot jam
1 Tbsp water  

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Cut pastry into 8 x 10cm rounds.
Place on a baking tray, allowing a little space between each round.
Combine almonds, sugar, vanilla, almond essence and egg white.
Divide evenly between pastry rounds, about 1 tbsp per tart, leaving the pastry rim clean. 
Thinly slice pears and arrange on top of each tart.
Bake until pastry starts to puff, about 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 160°C and cook until tarts are golden, fruit is tender and pastry cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.  
Melt apricot jam in microwave for 30 seconds, thin with water and pass through a sieve. Brush over hot tarts.