Chocolate-pear Tart

: SHORTBREAD CRUST–
9 TB unsalted butter
9 TB confectioners’ sugar —
: sifted
1 1/2 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
1 strip lemon peel — (3
: inch)
1/2 cinnamon stick
: Splash of Cognac
4 pears — Bosc
: GLAZE–
1 jar apricot preserves — (12
: ounce)
2 TB cura=E7ao — orange liqueur
: or
: pear brandy
: GARNISH–
1/4 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 1/2 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]