Pear Tarts With Caramel Sauce

To make the almond cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a
wooden spoon, beat the butter and sugar together until light and
fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beat in well, and add the Amaretto. Stir
in the ground almonds and flour until evenly mixed. The mixture
should be the consistency of a thick paste.

To make the caramel sauce: In a small sauce pan, combine the brown
sugar, butter and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil
vigorously for 2 minutes, remove from the heat. Cover and keep warm
at the back of the stove.

To make the tarts: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly
floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 1/8 inch thickness and,
using a plate or cardboard circle as a template, use a very sharp
knife to cut four 7 inch circles. Spread a circle of almond cream in
the center of each, leaving a 1inch border. Fan the sliced pears out
from the center of each tart, completely covering the almond cream
but still leaving the border. Beat the egg yolk lightly with a fork
and brush the border of the pastry with it (try not to let any yolk
dribble down onto the cut edges of the pastry, otherwise it will not
rise as high). Bake the tarts for about 20 minutes, until the edges
are golden and the pastry is baked through. Remove from the oven and
allow to cool for 5 minutes Place a sprig of mint in the center of
each tart and sprinkle it with a little confectioners sugar. Serve
warm, drizzled with the warm caramel sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

Note: to make ground almonds, freeze whole or sliced blanched
almonds, then process them in a blender in short bursts, scraping
down the sides as necessary, until they are evenly ground. Do not
over process or allow them to get warm, otherwise they will turn into
nut butter.