Pear Almond Tart

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02

Title: PEAR ALMOND TART
Categories: Desserts
Yield: 1 10" tart

-----------------------------------PASTRY-----------------------------------
1 1/2 c Unbleached flour
2 tb Sugar
1 pn Salt
1 pn Ground cloves
1/2 ts Grated lemon peel
1/4 lb Butter
1 Egg yolk
5 tb Ice water
Butter; softened

-----------------------------------GLAZE-----------------------------------
1/2 c Apricot preserves
2 tb Dark rum

----------------------------------FILLING----------------------------------
1/2 c Finely ground almonds
1/2 c Sugar
1 tb Flour
9 Firm, ripe pears
-- (preferably Anjou)
-- peeled, halved lengthwise
-- and cored

To make pastry, put dry ingredients and lemon peel in bowl of food
processor fitted with metal chopping blade; process just to mix. Add
butter and cut into small pieces; process just until mixture resembles
coarse meal. Add egg yolk; process just until blended. With processor
running, quickly add ice water. Process several seconds until pastry
forms ball. Stop at once to avoid overmixing. Wrap ball in plastic wrap;
chill at least one hour.
Butter a 10-inch quiche pan with a removable bottom. Roll pastry out
slightly larger than pan. Carefully lift pastry to pan and gently press
against bottom and sides. Trim edges; prick bottom and sides with fork.
Chill for 1/2 hour.
Line pastry-filled pan with a circle of foil, pressing it gently against
pastry. Fill liner with uncooked rice or dried beans to weight. Bake in
preheated 375 degree F oven 15 minutes. Lift out liner with rice or beans
(save for future pastry baking). Bake crust 5 minutes longer; cool on
rack.
To make glaze, heat preserves and rum over low heat, stirring. Strain,
brush tart shell with 2 tablespoons glaze. Reserve remainder.
To make filling, stir together almonds, sugar, and flour; sprinkle over
glazed shell. Slice 12 pear halves crosswise. (Do not separate the
slices. -KM) Place sliced halves in circle over almond mixture in shell.
Chop remaining pear halves, use to fill spaces between sliced pears.
Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven 40 minutes. Remove from oven, brush
with remaining warm glaze.
Serve at room temperature.

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