2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon 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 tablespoons curaçao -- orange liqueur or
pear brandy
GARNISH--
1/4 cup 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 350°F. 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.
NOTES: Menu "Black Tie Dinner in Beverly Hills" A dramatic dessert, suitable
for any special occasion, combines two of our true loves -- fresh fruit and
chocolate. Makes one 10-inch tart. By using a springform pan, the shortbread
crust can stand on its own -- serving on a silvered platter is 'tres elegante'
