Recipe - Pear And Almond Crostata With Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

PASTRY
One half cup Butter; softened
One fourth cup Granulated sugar
1 lg Egg yolk
2 One half cup Unsifted allpurpose flour
1/8 teaspoon Salt

FILLING
4 lg Ripe pears; peel, core &
slice
2 tablespoon Bear brandy
3 lg Eggs
One fourth cup Prepared almond paste
2 tablespoon Granulated sugar
One half cup Unsifted allpurpose flour
One half cup Heavy cream

CHOCOLATE SAUCE
4 ounce Bittersweet chocolate bar;
chopped
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Heavy cream

OPTIONAL INGREDIENT
2 tablespoon Confectioner's sugar

Several hours or day before serving, prepare Pastry: In mediumsize bowl,
with electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until
light and fluffy. Beat in yolk until well mixed. Reduce mixer speed to low.
Gradually beat in flour and salt. Gather dough into a ball, flatten to a
5inch round, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate pastry at least 1 hour
or overnight.

When pastry has chilled, between 2 sheets of floured waxed paper, roll out
pastry to 13inch round. Remove top sheet of peper and invert pastry into
11inch tart pan with removable botton, allowing excess to extend over
edge. Remove remaining sheet of waxed paper. Fold excess pastry inside so
that it is even around top edge with rim of pan; press pastry against the
side to make an even thickness. Wrap and refrigerate pastry crust until
ready to bake (no longer than 24 hours).

Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare Filling: Cut pears lengthwise into 1inchthick
slices. In mediumsize bowl, combine pears and brandy. In another
mediumsize bow, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs, almond
paste, and granulated sugar until well mixed. Beat in flour and cream until
smooth.

Arrange pear slices spoke fashion in chilled pastry crust. Place several
slices in center. Add any brandy remaining in bowl to egg mixtrue and pour
over pears. Bake tart 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in
center comes out clean. Cool tart completely on wire rack.

Up to 30 minutes before serving, prepare Chocolate Sauce: In top of double
boiler over hot, not boiling, water, heat chocolate and butter until
melted. Remove from heat and stir in cream until smooth mixture forms. Keep
warm in double boiler over hot water. Just before serving, pour sauce into
pitcher.

To serve, remove rim from tart pan and place tart on serving plate. Sift
confectioners' sugar around edge of tart, if desired. Cut tart into 12
wedges and serve with chocolate sauce. Store any leftovers in refrigerator.

NOTES : This elegant desset is easy to make; the crust can even be rolled
out and fitted into the tart pan the day before.

Recipe by: Country Living (January 1998)

Posted to recipeludigest by "Nesb2@aol.com" Nesb2@aol.com on Mar 24,
1998