Pear Tarts With Caramel Sauce Recipe

CARAMEL SAUCE
1/2 c Brown sugar,, packed
4 tb Unsalted butter
2 tb Heavy cream

-TARTS-
1 lb Puff pastry
2 lg Ripe pears, peeled, cored,,
-thinly sliced
1 Egg yolk
4 Sprigs mint
Confectioners sugar,, for
-serving

To make the almond cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a wooden
spoon, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the
egg yolks, beat in well, and add the Amaretto. Stir in the ground almonds
and flour until evenly mixed. The mixture should be the consistency of a
thick paste.

To make the caramel sauce: In a small sauce pan, combine the brown sugar,
butter and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil vigorously for 2
minutes, remove from the heat. Cover and keep warm at the back of the
stove.

To make the tarts: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured
surface, roll out the pastry to a 1/8inch thickness and, using a plate or
cardboard circle as a template, use a very sharp knife to cut four 7inch
circles. Spread a circle of almond cream in the center of each, leaving a
1inch border. Fan the sliced pears out from the center of each tart,
completely covering the almond cream but still leaving the border. Beat the
egg yolk lightly with a fork and brush the border of the pastry with it
(try not to let any yolk dribble down onto the cut edges of the pastry,
otherwise it will not rise as high). Bake the tarts for about 20 minutes,
until the edges are golden and the pastry is baked through. Remove from the
oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes Place a sprig of mint in the center of
each tart and sprinkle it with a little confectioners sugar. Serve warm,
drizzled with the warm caramel sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

Note: to make ground almonds, freeze whole or sliced blanched almonds, then
process them in a blender in short bursts, scraping down the sides as
necessary, until they are evenly ground. Do not over process or allow them
to get warm, otherwise they will turn into nut butter.