Almost all the soft fruit found in the shops these days is lush and ripe: smooth nectarines, tender peaches, juicy plums, and delicate pears.
You almost shouldn't cook them when they are so ripe, but if you do want to cook some pears, then try this brilliant caramelized pear tart, which is featured in Linda Collister's book.
There is a number of terrific features about this modern reinvention of the classic tart tatin. Firstly, it is easy - the pastry gets made in the food processor in no time flat. Secondly, it looks stunning - it was actually the photograph of the tart in the book which had me rushing out to the shop for the ground almonds and what-have-you - and so you flip it out of the pan and parade it in front of everyone, and everyone goes "Ooh!" and thinks you are the greatest cook since Escoffier.
Finally, it is truly delicious: subtle, sweet, fresh, rich, and with that nice bite of the blanched almonds for contrast.
Caramelized Pear Tart
200g plain flour
Pinch of salt
30g ground almonds
30g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 egg yolk
2-3 tablespoons iced water Filling:
115g unsalted butter, thinly sliced
200g golden caster sugar
Whole blanched almonds
About 2kg William or Comice pears, slightly under-ripe, peeled and halved
Use a 30.5cm tarte tatin tin or a frying pan with an ovenproof handle.
To make the pastry, put the flour, salt, ground almonds and sugar into a food processor and combine briefly. Add the butter and process just until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. With the machine running, add the egg yolk and two tablespoons iced water. Process just until the mixture binds to make a fairly firm dough (add extra water one teaspoon at a time if necessary). Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
Arrange the sliced butter on the bottom of the tin or pan to cover the base completely. Sprinkle over an even layer of sugar, then almonds. Scoop the cores out of the pears with a teaspoon or the end of a vegetable peeler. Pack the pears into the pan, curved side up, then place over a moderate heat on top of the stove and cook for 20 minutes or until the butter and sugar have formed a richly golden caramel.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a circle to fit the top of the pan. Roll up the dough around the rolling pin. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for one minute to allow the bubbling to subside. Lift the rolling pin over the pan and gently unroll the dough so it covers the filling. Quickly tuck the edges inside the pan. Prick the pastry, then bake in a preheated oven at 200C/425F/gas 7 for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven, leave for five minutes, then run a round-bladed knife around the edge to loosen the pastry. Place a large plate upside down over the top of the pan and invert the tart so the fruit is uppermost. Serve warm or at room temperature within 24 hours of baking.