Apple and Pear Tart

Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into the flour with a knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (This can also be done in a food processor: pulse the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles crumbs; add the cream cheese and pulse until it's the size of small peas.) When you squeeze a handful of the mixture, it should form a ball. Shape the dough into a round disk, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Toss the sliced apples and pear with the orange juice. Whisk together the dark brown soft sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cornflour. Toss the fruit with the sugar-spice mixture and set aside.

Preheat an oven to 190 C / Gas 5. Set out an 20cm tart tin or if you're making a free-form tart (galette), lightly grease a baking tray.

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to form a 25cm circle. Transfer the dough to the tart tin or baking tray. Arrange the fruit decoratively in the tart pastry. If you're baking the tart on a baking tray, leave a 5cm rim of pastry and fold it up over the edge of the fruit (the pastry folds will overlap).

Bake the tart in the preheated oven until the pastry is browned and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and brush it with the apricot jam.