Chocolate and Pear Tart

• 1 pound shortcrust pastry
• 4 ounces ground almonds
• 2 large eggs, preferably free-range or organic
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 8 ounces good-quality (bittersweet or semisweet) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted
• 3 Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled, cored and quartered
• Creme fraiche, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Roll out the pastry until 1/8-inch thick and use it to line a 10-inch tart tin.
3. Leave in the freezer to rest for at least 20 minutes, or longer if you can.
4. Bake the pastry blind for around 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove, set aside, and reduce the oven temperature to 325F.
5. Mix your almonds, eggs, butter and sugar together, and stir in the melted chocolate while its still warm.
6. Pour the mixture evenly into the pastry crust.
7. Press the pears into the chocolate and almond mixture.
8. Bake the tart for 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the chocolate and almond mixture is firm.
9. Serve warm with a dollop of creme fraiche.

shortcrust pastry, ground almonds, eggs, butter, sugar, chocolate, creme fraiche

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/chocolate-and-pear-tart (may not work)