A Fancy Dessert for the Pastry-Dough Phobe

This easy pear tart will fool everyone

A true gourmet would never cut corners by using prepared foods, but pastry can be so tricky that it's sometimes worth sacrificing pride for a time-saving shortcut.

"Here's a recipe that makes you look like an experienced baker when you fear making pastry dough from scratch," says Diane Morgan, a cookbook author in Portland, Ore.

By layering gingersnap cookie crumbs, pear slices and apricot preserves atop prepared puff pastry dough, this recipe saves time without sacrificing taste. "The pastry puffs and flakes, surrounding warm sweet pears with a glistening, sugarcoated crust," Morgan says.

Individual pear and ginger tarts

1 sheet frozen puff pastry from a 17.3-ounce package

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

7 crisp gingersnap cookies (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon apricot preserves (without chunks)

2 firm but ripe Bosc pears, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored and cut lengthwise into thin slices

Powdered sugar for dusting

Remove one sheet of pastry from the package and thaw the pastry at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and set aside. Place the cookies in a heavy lock-top plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin to make fine crumbs, or crush the cookies in a food processor. Set aside. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Have ready one rimmed baking sheet, preferably non-stick. If you don't have a pan with a non-stick finish, line it with parchment paper or a non-stick mat.

Unfold the pastry sheet and arrange it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into quarters, creating four 5-inch squares. Place the squares on a prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Fold the sides of each pastry square about 1/2 inch toward the center, so the edges will be a double thickness. Use your pinky finger to make indentations about 1/2 inch apart around the edges of the pastry, creating a fluted effect. Place the pastry in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the apricot preserves in a small bowl and microwave just until melted, about 10 seconds. Set aside. Prepare the pears.

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Using a pastry brush or your finger, brush the pastry with the beaten egg mixture. Place a rounded tablespoonful of the cookie crumbs in the center of each pastry and use your finger to spread it around, keeping the crumbs off the edges. Lay slices of pear in a tight overlapping fashion over the cookie crumbs.

Sprinkle the pears with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Brush a bit of the melted preserves over the pears. Bake the tarts until the crusts are beautifully browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm dusted with powdered sugar.

The tarts can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Set aside at room temperature. Serve the tarts with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Makes 4 servings.

(Recipe courtesy Pear Bureau Northwest)

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