Chocolate-pear tart

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 strip lemon peel -- (3
4 pears -- Bosc
1 jar apricot preserves -- (12

Directions

: SHORTBREAD CRUST--

9 TB unsalted butter

9 TB confectioners' sugar --

: sifted

1½ c all-purpose flour -- sifted : unbleached

: CHOCOLATE LAYER--

6 oz semisweet chocolate -- or

: bittersweet

2 TB unsalted butter

: POACHED PEARS--

2 c water

1 c sugar

1 ts vanilla extract

: inch)

½ cinnamon stick

: Splash of Cognac

: GLAZE--

: ounce)

2 TB cura=E7ao -- orange liqueur : or

: pear brandy

: GARNISH--

¼ c sliced almonds -- toasted To make the shortbread crust, cream together the butter and sugar.

Blend in= the flour to make a soft dough. Add 1 more tablespoon butter if the mixture= will not incorporate all the flour.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pat the dough evenly by hand into the bottom and= 1 ½ to 2 inches up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Prick well= with a fork. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool= completely.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water.= Spread on the bottom and up the side a little to hide the 'seam' of the the= tart shell and let cool until the chocolate hardens.

To Prepare Pears: peel, stem, halve, and core the pears. (Photo tells me= that the pears were peeled by slicing; the roundness is sharpened into an= 8-sided geometry that is quite attractive.) Bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium heat in a large saucepan,= stirring only until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla, lemon peel,= cinnamon and Cognac and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pears and poach for 10= to 15 minutes, until they can be easily pierces with a sharp paring knife.= Let cool in the syrup.

For the glaze, put the apricot preserves in a food processor fitted with the= steel blade and process until smooth. Strain and add the liqueur.

To assemble, drain the pears well, pat them dry, cut crosswise into l/4-inch= slices (as evenly as possible across all pears) and arrange carefully in= the tart shell, stem ends at the center. (Photo shows 7-halves ~- not all 8= -- in the wheel.) Brush the pears with some of the apricot glaze and= sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

Use a warm or heated sharp knife to cut wedges.

(c) 1986 by Los Angeles County Museum of Art. NY: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. [mc-recipe: patH Sep 96]

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