Recipe - Caramelized Upside-Down Pear Tart

2 pound Firmripe Bosc pears; (35)
One half Stick unsalted butter
One half cup Sugar
One half teaspoon Cinnamon

DOUGH
Three fourths Stick cold unsalted butter
1 One fourth cup Flour
2 tablespoon Cold vegetable shortening
One fourth teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Ice water; (up to 4)

Prepare dough: Cut butter into One half inch cubes. Using fingers or pastry
blender, mix all except water until most of the mixture resembles coarse
meal and the remainder in small, peasied lumps. Drizzle 2T ice water
evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Test
mixture by gently squeezing a small handful. Dough should hold together
without crumbling apart. Add more water as necessary, 1T at a time until
dough is proper consistency. Turn mixture onto a work surface and divide
into 4 equal portions. With heel of hand, smear each portion once in a
forward motion to distribute fat. Gather dough together and form it into a
disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic, until firmat least one hour or up to one
day ahead.

Peel, halve, and core pears. In a 9 to 10 inch ovenproof skillet or
wellseasoned cast iron skillet, heat butter over moderate heat until foam
subsides and stir in sugar. (Sugar will not be dissolved). Arrange pears,
cut side up, in skillet. Sprinkle pears with cinammon and cook without
stirring until sugar mixture forms a deep golden caramel. (1025 minutes).
Cool pears completely in skillet.

Preheat oven to 425. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling
pin, roll out dough into an 11 inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and
arrange over caramelized pears. Tuck edge in around pears. Bake tart in
middle of oven until pastry is golden brown, 3035 minutes. As soon as tart
is done, invert tart onto a plate slightly larger than the skillet.

Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

Recipe by: Gourmet, November 1997

Posted to MCRecipe Digest by "Montiel Arredondo" apocrypha7@hotmail.com
on Apr 15, 1998