Ingredients
Scale
For the crust:
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon fat free half & half (or regular half & half)
For the custard:
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups fat free half & half (or regular half & half)
- 2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
For the rest:
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups good quality dark chocolate chips
- 6 – 8 large ripe but firm pears (or 10 – 16 little ones), peeled, cored and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray two 9-10 inch tart pans or pie pans with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well mixed. Stir in the egg and egg yolk and vanilla until incorporated. Add flour and stir until mixed, then stir in the cream. You should have a nice big ball of cookie dough.
- Divide the dough in half and use your fingers to spread the dough out, covering the bottom and sides of the pan all over with a uniform 1/4 inch thickness. Press your fingers into the corners to try to maintain that 1/4 inch thickness there. Cover your crusts with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven, take out the pie weights and the parchment paper. Prick the bottom with a fork and bake for another 10 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, peel, core and slice the pears and prepare the custard.
- For the custard: beat together the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cream and cocoa powder until frothy. The egg whites should be fully incorporated.
- When the crusts are done, remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips while still hot. Put them back in the oven for 1 minute to melt the chips, then use a spoon or spatula to spread the melted chips across the bottom of the tarts.
- Fill the tarts with pears, then pour the chocolate custard over, dividing the custard evenly between the two tarts. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the custard is set in the middle. Let the tarts cool completely and serve at room temperature.
Notes
Makes 2 9-10 inch tarts. Store leftovers in the fridge, but serve at room temperature.
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
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