Chocolate Pear Tart

MARTHA'S CHOCOLATE PEAR TART

sometimes Martha has a winner...and this is one of them.

or should i say "Martha's People"...

there's just NO WAY she comes up with all this stuff on her own.

YES, i DO fall into the "Martha vortex" every now and then and i'm not afraid to admit it.

i'm not going to shout it from the roof tops or buy her dinnerware at K-mart, but i sure wish i'd bought some of her stock when it plummeted a few years back.

when things turn out as good as this lovely tart, i assure myself it's OKAY to wander through the Martha recipes...no one's gonna get hurt until something turns out bad.

regardless of how you feel about Martha...good, bad or just don't care...

you should really try this super easy tart.

the base is done in the food processor, slice a couple of pears, bake and VOILA!

a delicious, beautiful tart to be proud of

and...a fabulous addition to the pumpkin, pecan and mince pie line-up that are always regulars at the party.

MARTHA STEWART'S CHOCOLATE PEAR TART

here's where to find the original with comments, but i have copied it for you below.

i made zero, zip...no changes...(well...i only used 1 3/4 Bosc pears instead of 3)

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp., plus some for the pan

1 cup blanched almonds

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

3 firm, ripe Bartlett pears...i used 1 3/4 Bosc pears

1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp apple jelly...i used strained apricot preserves (Bonne Maman)

preheat oven to 350F degrees.  brush a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan with butter, set aside.

in a food processor, combine almonds and sugar...process until very finely ground.  add butter, eggs, cocoa, vanilla, salt and almond extract, if using...process until combined.

spread mixture evenly into prepared pan

peel, halve and core pears...cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices and rub them with lemon juice to prevent browning

NOTE...i used a small bowl of lemon water for the pear and then blotted them dry before arranging them on the tart

arrange slices on chocolate mixture, slightly overlapping, without pressing in.

place on a baking sheet and bake until top is puffed and toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached (be careful not to mess up the pretty top).

should be about 45-50 minutes.  cool completely in pan

briefly heat jelly or preserves in the microwave until liquefied...strain if necessary.  gently brush the pears with the jelly and set aside for at least 20 minutes.

remove tart from pan, and serve.  

slice with a very sharp knife and you will get pretty slices...take your time or you will drag the pears through with the incorrect knife.