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1
Preheat oven to 375u00b0F. Place the sugar in a small bowl. With a paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds. Stir the seeds into the sugar.
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2
Peel, half, and core pears. Place cut side up in a baking dish. Drizzle fruit with lemon juice, then sprinkle your vanilla-sugar mixture evenly over the fruit. Dot each fruit with pieces of butter. Pour water into pan (not over fruit).
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3
Roast pears for 30 minutes, basting with pan juices every 5 - 10 minutes. Flip pears, continue to roast and baste another 20 - 30 minutes, or until tender when pierced with paring knife.
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4
Once pears are cool enough to handle, lay cut side down, and slice lengthwise, thinly. Place pears back in baking dish to absorb any juices left behind.
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5
Heat oven to 375u00b0F. Place 1 1/2 cups flour in large bowl. Heat all remaining crust ingredients in large skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until mixture begins to brown and give off nutty aroma, stirring occasionally. Pour over flour; stir until dough forms. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Press into bottom and up sides of 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom (hint: sometimes its best to pierce the bottom of the tart with a fork to prevent too large of puffing during baking). Bake 15 minutes, or until light brown and slightly puffed. Cool on wire rack.
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6
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup butter in medium skillet over medium heat 7 minutes or until milk solids on bottom are chocolate brown. Pour into glass measuring cup. Cool 15 minutes or until warm but not hot.
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7
Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk in 1/4 cup flour and seeds scraped from the vanilla bean. Gradually whisk in warmed brown butter until smooth.
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8
Place tart pan on rimmed baking sheet. Arrange pears over crust; pour filling over fruit (filling will reach top of crust).
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9
Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set in the middle. Cool on wire rack.
