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Caramelized Upside Down Pear Tart
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4 large firm ripe Bosc pears
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1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
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1/2 cup sugar
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1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
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2 Tbsp minced ginger (optional)
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1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed overnight in fridge)
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Peel, halve, and core pears.
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In a 9- to 10-inch heavy skillet, heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides.
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Stir in sugar (sugar will not be dissolved). Arrange pears, cut sides up, in skillet, with the skinny end of pears pointing into the middle of the pan. If you have a half of pear left over, cut a circle out of it and place it in the middle of the skillet domed side down. The pears will make a sort of flower in the skillet.
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Cook without stirring until sugar mixture forms a deep golden caramel. (This can take as little as 10 minutes or as much as 25, depending on skillet and stove.)
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Cool pears completely in skillet. Sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger.
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Preheat oven to 425u00b0F and set a rack in the upper third of the oven.
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On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out puff pastry to about 1/8 inch think, large enough to hang over skillet 1/2 inch.
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Arrange over caramelized pears and cut extra dough off. You need just about a small overhang to tuck edges into the skillet around pears.
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Bake tart in the upper third of the oven until pastry is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes, but not longer.
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Have ready a round rimmed serving plate slightly larger than skillet. Invert plate over skillet and, wearing oven mitts and keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert tart onto plate. Do this over the sink in case some juices spill. This is a bit scary, but it works! The trick is to do it in one very fast motion.
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Let cool until warm, 10-15 minutes. Serve tart warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
