Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) tart

Especially for chocolate lovers, this is a chocolate twist on a French fruit tart. Make this tart when pears are ripe and juicy, or use pear halves that have been preserved in syrup. If using canned pears, stir a little of the syrup into the final cream. This is a great combination of delicate pear flavor enhanced by the pear eau-de-vie and rich, dark chocolate–bound by a creamy liaison and served in a crusty shell.

Ingredients

• 1 recipe sweet short pastry dough (See recipe below)
• 8 oz. (250 g) sweet, dark chocolate
• 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) crème fraîche
• 3 large ripe pears, peeled and halved (canned pears work well too)
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons Poire William (pear brandy or liqueur)
• granulated sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
2. Prepare the pastry and line the tart pan
3. Melt the chocolate over very low heat or in a double boiler. Stir in about 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche
   Spread the chocolate mixture evenly over the pastry
4. Core the pear halves with a spoon or melon baller, then slice them into fans by cutting lengthwise from the bottom–almost to the top of the pear– 1 inch (3 cm) from the top. Fan the pears over the chocolate and place in a circle around the pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, but keep oven on.
5. Mix remaining crème fraîche, egg, vanilla, and Poire William together. Pour over the pears, covering the chocolate. Sprinkle with sugar. Return to the hot oven and bake until golden or place under a broiler for a few minutes. Let cool and serve.

Sweet Short Pastry Crust

Makes pastry for one 10-inch (25 cm) tart pan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) flour
• ¼ cup (2 oz/60 g) butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) water

Procedure

1. Place the flour and the sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the butter, broken up into small bits. Work the butter into the flour with your finger tips until the whole is crumbly and evened texture like cornmeal. (Alternately, use a food processor or hand tool)
2. Stir in half of the water and mix quickly, adding just enough more water until the dough holds together. Pat the dough into a ball with your hands. Let the dough rest while you prepare the filling.
3. Divide dough in half. Roll out the dough until 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick and lay in pan. you can then fill and bake the pastry shell or bake blanc (empty) using pastry weights or beans.

Recipe from A Culinary Journey in Gascony by Kate Hill