Vegan Poires Belle-Hélène Tart

Add 220 g plain flour, 30 g cocoa powder, 60 g icing sugar, and 2 g salt to a mixing bowl and whisk until the color is even and there are no visible streaks of cocoa. Rub in 120 g vegan butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine damp crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces left. Pour in 40 ml water and mix just until the dough starts clumping; press it together with your hands until smooth, without kneading for too long.

Flatten the dough into a thick disc, wrap it, and chill it for 20 minutes until firm but still pliable. Use 0 ml water. Roll the dough between sheets of baking paper to a round large enough for your tart tin, then line the tin and press the corners in neatly so the sides are even. Chill the lined shell for 10 minutes so the pastry firms up before baking.

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Use 0 ml water. Prick the base lightly with a fork, line the shell with baking paper, and fill it with baking weights or dry beans before baking for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and paper, then bake for 8 minutes more until the surface looks matte and the edges feel dry. Cool the shell completely before filling.

Peel and halve 700 g pear, removing the cores neatly so the halves stay intact. In a saucepan, combine 500 ml water, 120 g caster sugar, 10 ml vanilla extract, and 20 ml lemon juice, then bring to a gentle simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves fully. Add the 700 g pear and poach over low heat for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once, until the pears are tender when pierced but not collapsing and the edges look slightly translucent.

Lift out 700 g pear from the poaching syrup and place the 700 g pear on a plate to cool for 15 minutes. Slice the 700 g pear into even thin slices while keeping each pear half together so the slices can be fanned neatly later. Cool the 700 g pear completely before assembling the tart.

Finely chop 220 g dark chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl. Heat 220 ml coconut cream in a small pan until it is steaming and just beginning to tremble at the edges, then pour the 220 ml coconut cream over the 220 g dark chocolate. Leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir slowly from the center outward until the ganache turns glossy, smooth, and fully emulsified.

Pour the ganache made with 220 g dark chocolate and 220 ml coconut cream into the cooled tart shell and spread it into an even layer with a spatula, nudging it right to the edges. Gently fan 700 g pear on top of the ganache to create an even pattern across the tart. Press the 700 g pear in lightly so it adheres to the ganache while still sitting visibly on the surface.

Chill the assembled tart for 1 hour until the ganache is set enough to slice cleanly and the pears feel cool. Use 0 ml water. Remove the tart from the tin, wipe the knife between cuts, and slice into 8 portions for the neatest finish.