Pear Tarts

By LoriCaputo

Ingredients

• Ingredients-Glaze:
• 2 medium firm pears (360 grams)
• 1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 ¼ cup apricot jam
• 1/2 ½ tsp. Gelatine
• 1 tbs. water
• 1 tbs. Grand Mariner
• Ingredients-Orange Liqueur Sauce
• 2 tbs. superfine sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup cream (250 ml)
• 3 tbs. Grand Mariner
• 1 tsp. Grated orange rind

Preparation

Step 1

Peel and core pears, leaving stems intact. Cut pears and stems in half. Using a canella knife, cut grooves into pear halves at an angle.
Cut pastry into quarters, top each quarter with half a pear. Trim pastry to the shape of the pear, leaving 1.5 cm border around the pear. Place on a greased oven tray; brush pastry with egg. Bake in very hot oven 15 minutes; reduce heat to moderately hot, bake about 20 minutes or until pears are tender. Brush hot tarts with glaze; cool to room temperature. Serve with orange liqueur sauce.
Glaze-Combine all ingredients in small pan, stir over heat until warm; strain.
Orange Liqueur Sauce-Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a small pan until creamy; stir in cream. Stir over low heat, without boiling, until mixture coats back of metal spoon. Stir in liqueur and rind; cool.