INGREDIENTS
- 1 Sheet of Puff Pastry
- 7 TB Unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 - 5 d'Anjou Pears
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh Grated Ginger root
- 1 1/2 Makrut Lime leaves (meaning 3 lobes); Thinly Chiffonade
- juice of 1 small Persian Lime or 2 Key limes
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375
- Utilize a 10 inch oven proof skillet (I used an enameled cast iron pan.)
- Roll out a sheet of puff pastry and cut an 11 inch circle.
- Place on a wax paper lined baking sheet, prick all over and store in the refrigerator until later.
- Peel, halve and core the pears and toss in a bowl with the lime juice, ginger, and thinly chiffonade makrut lime leaves.
- Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat.
- Sprinkle the surface with sugar.
- Cook the sugar a little, as the pears will cook faster than if you were using apples.
- Once the sugar and butter begin to bubble slightly begin adding the pear halves, cut side up, packing them in tight as they cook down and shrink although less than apples do.
- Sprinkle the pears with a 2 tsp of the residual lime juice; scoop out any of the makrut lime chiffonade and sprinkle across the pears.
- Cook the pears over medium heat until the juices in the pan become caramel brown. (About 12 minutes)
- Remove from heat and take pastry from the refrigerator.
- Place pastry over the steaming pears and tuck the edges into the skillet around the filling.
- Cut a steam whole in the center (No one will see it, it will be on the bottom)
- Place in the oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown (About 20-25 minutes)
- Remove from the oven and let set for 10 minutes before placing a serving plate over the top and flipping the skillet over... CAREFUL, this is hot caramel.
- Some pears will probably stick a little, although I was really lucky with this one... My apples stuck but the pears did not. If they do just dislodge them with an off-set frosting spatula and place them on top of the tart.
- Serve warm with lightly sweetened Whipped Cream
