Spiced Poached Pear and Vanilla Cream Tart

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar, star anise, cinnamon stick, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat to dissolve the sugar.

Carefully lower the peeled and halved Bosc pears into the simmering syrup. Place a parchment paper circle directly on top to keep them submerged. Poach gently at 90C/195F for 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Allow the pears to cool completely in the hot poaching syrup to absorb the spices and retain their vibrant color.

For the pastry cream, pour the whole milk into a clean medium saucepan. Add the scraped vanilla bean seeds and the empty pod. Bring to a gentle simmer at 85C/185F, then remove from heat and let infuse for 10 minutes.

In a separate mixing bowl, vigorously whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture becomes pale yellow and slightly thickened.

Remove the vanilla pod from the infused milk. Slowly stream the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to gently temper the yolks without scrambling them.

Pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and reaches 100C/212F. Cook for 1 additional minute at a boil to fully activate the cornstarch and eliminate its raw taste.

Remove the pastry cream from the heat and immediately whisk in the room temperature unsalted butter until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream, and chill in the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the cold puff pastry into 6 equal rectangles. Using a sharp knife, score a 1-centimeter border around the edge of each rectangle, being careful not to cut all the way through the dough. Dock the inner rectangle multiple times with a fork and brush only the borders with the beaten egg using a pastry brush.

Bake the puff pastry in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until puffed and deeply golden brown. If the centers puff up too much, gently press them down with the back of a spoon immediately after baking to create a cavity. Let cool on a wire rack.

Toast the flaked almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Toss frequently to prevent burning. Set aside to cool.

Once the pastry shells are completely cool, transfer the chilled pastry cream to a piping bag. Pipe a generous, even layer of vanilla pastry cream into the sunken center cavity of each pastry rectangle.

Remove the cooled pears from the syrup and slice them thinly across the width, keeping the pear shape intact. Gently press to fan the slices out slightly, and place one fanned pear half on top of the pastry cream on each tart. Garnish the edges with toasted flaked almonds and serve.