3-4 firm, ripe pears
1/2 lemon, juice only
2-3 tb water
1 tb butter
1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
2 cm ginger, finely diced
2 tb sugar
1 puff pastry sheet (25x25 cm)
oven: about 225 deg C, preheated; 25 min
pan: springform or tart pan, 18 cm, bottom greased
Peel the pears, cut in half, remove the cores. Place lemon juice and water in a bowl, add the pears, set aside. Cut the pastry sheet into a circle (a bit larger than the diameter of the baking pan).
Heat the butter until it froths. Add vanilla pod, vanilla seeds and ginger. Add the sugar and let it lightly caramelize, stirring constantly. Add the pears (cut surfaces down) and the lemon water. Cover the sauce pan and cook the pears on low heat for about 2-3 minutes. Lift the pears out, drain and arrange in the baking pan (cut surfaces top). Bring the lemon water to a boil and cook until it starts to thicken. Remove the vanilla pod. Pour the syrup into the baking pan. Arrange the pastry sheet on top, tucking the edges in around the pears. Bake until golden brown.
Let cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, then invert the tart onto a serving plate. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.