Milanese Pear And Chocolate Tart

CHOCOLATE CRUMB TOPPING
1 c Unbleached flour
1/3 c Sugar
1/4 c Cocoa powder
1 Stick butter; melted

-PEAR FILLING-
4 Ripe bartlett pears
3 tb Sugar
2 tb Butter; melted
1 tb Pear eau-de-vie

Lightly butter a 10-inch tart pan.

For dough, combine dry ingredients except cocoa in a mixing bowl. Sift
cocoa into bowl through a fine strainer. Rub in butter with fingertips,
keeping mixture cool and powdery. Beat egg with a fork and stir in.
Continue stirring until dough is evenly moistened, pressing it together
well. Shape dough into a disk, wrap and chill.

For crumbs, combine flour and sugar in a bowl; sift in cocoa and mix. Stir
in butter and allow to stand a few minutes. Break up into coarse crumbs.

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll dough on a floured surface and line the prepared pan, pressing dough
in well. For filling, peel, halve, core and slice pears into a bowl and
toss with remaining ingredients. Pour filling into lined pan, smooth top
and scatter crumbs over surface. Bake the tart about 30 to 35 minutes,
until the crust and crumbs are baked through and the filling is bubbling.
Cool on a rack and serve tart at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings