Ingredients

PASTRY

3.75 c. flour

1t. salt

.75 c cool (not cold) butter, cut in 1"chunks

.33c vegetable fat

.75c T fine sugar (castor/ fruit sugar)

.33c finely ground walnuts

3 egg yolk, slightly beaten

.25 c ice water

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

FILLING

1c. sugar

3c. water

.5c. real maple syrup

8-10 medium-large pears, peeled, cored and halved

whipped cream

3 T walnut crumbs

Preparation

Sift flour & salt into bowl. Cut fats into the flour to consistency of coarse crumbs. Mix in .75c fine sugar and .33c walnut crumbs. Blend in egg yolks and half the water. Mix and knead with your hands into a smooth dough, adding enough water to create a smooth dough. Divide, wrap and chill dough in one large and one small dough ball in the fridge In a deep frying pan, or sauce pan, slowly dissolve the sugar and .25c maple syrup in 3 cups of water. Boil this syrup for 4 minutes. Add the pear halves to the syrup, and boil the pear halves in the syrup until the pears are tender begin to ‘clear’ and the syrup thickens somewhat. (about 10-15 minutes) PREHEAT oven to 400’ On lightly floured board, roll out the larger dough ball, and gently press it into a pre-greased 12" flan pan. Using the smaller dough ball, roll out a circle large enough to cover the flan pan, cutting a 3" hole in the middle, and setting the top crust aside. Discard the 3"hole cut-out. Using a slotted spoon or collander, drain most of the syrup from the warm cooked pears. Arrange the pear halves, cut side down, in a single layer in the pastry shell, with narrow pear ends toward the middle. Pear halves can slightly overlap each other to avoid spaces between the pear halves. Drizzle with .25c maple syrup. Lift the pastry topper onto the flan top, pressing and sealing the edges of the 2 pastry layers together. It will drape the pear halves, clinging to the pear shapes and spaces. Trim off excess dough from the pan edges. Brush the pastry top with the egg white and dust with 2T of fine sugar. BAKE at 400, in the top half of the oven. Put the pan on a cookie sheet to avoid bottom-burning. Bake until the crust is golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool. Remove from the flan ring to a cake plate. Serve slightly warm, or refrigerated with whipped cream or ice cream, walnut crumbs and drizzle of maple syrup as desired.