Pear Tortetta

Pear Toretta
from the good people at Peppereridge Farm

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 to 5 medium ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut in half
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 of a 17.3 oz. package Pepperidge Farm® Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)

Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Heat the oven to 425F.

Mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Brush the pears with the lemon juice.

Spread the butter in the bottom of a 10-inch oven-safe skillet. Sprinkle the sugar mixture into the pan. Arrange the pear halves, cut-side up, with the tapered end of the pear towards the center of the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until the mixture thickens and the sugar melts. Remove from the heat.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 13-inch circle. Place the pastry over the pears to cover and tuck in the sides around the pears slightly.

Bake for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Place a serving platter over the skillet and carefully flip the skillet upside down to invert the tart onto the plate.

Notes:The challenge was to come up with a dessert that would transport well and contained no eggs. Also, no peaches and no bananas. And no nuts. Thus avoiding all the allergies of those it was intended to please. Though I found it a daunting task to flip it out of the pan. Also, the glaze didn't thicken quite as I expected it to so the crust underneath wasn't as crisp as I wanted it to be. Evenso, the dish was quite well-received.

Posted by Jennifer at September 19, 2006 8:10 PM | TrackBack