Poached Pear Tart

Name: Poached Pear Tart
Yield: makes a 10-inch tart, serving 8 or more
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 4 tablespoons sugar; 8 ounces (2 sticks) very cold butter, cut in 1/2-inch pieces; 4 egg yolks; 2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed; 2 1/3 cups sugar; Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon; 2 tablespoons soft butter; 2 to 2 1/2 pounds firm, nearly ripe pears (Seckel, Anjou, or Bosc); 1/2 cup apricot jam; 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water for glazing the pastry; A heavy-bottomed sauté pan or shallow saucepan, wide enough to hold all the pear halves in one layer; A 10-inch metal tart mold with fluted sides and removable bottom

December 14, 2011

This tart is a specialty of Calvizzano, a town near Naples, made with the mastantuono pear, which grows there. You will have to visit Calvizanno to taste the mastantuono—a small round yellow-green pear—but several of our American varieties, such as small Seckel pears or medium-sized Anjou or Bosc, are perfect for this great tart. In this recipe, the fruit is first cooked and saturated in a natural syrup, then baked in a pastry crust. Make sure to use pears that are still firm. This tart is delicious with a dollop of whipped cream, or served warm with some vanilla ice cream. I also like it with sour cream.

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