Serve this to the chocoholic in your life and he — or she — will be yours forever. Both filling and pat-in pastry can be doubled easily to make a 10-inch (25 cm) pie; just add a whole egg instead of an egg white when making the pastry and arrange two or three pears in spoke fashion.
- Portion size 4 servings
Ingredients
Chocolate Pastry:
Filling:
Method
Chocolate Pastry: In bowl or food processor, combine flour, sugar and cocoa; cut in or process butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add egg white; stir or process until moistened. Lightly press pastry into ball (do not overwork). Working with small pieces, press dough onto bottom and sides of 6-inch (15 cm) flan pan with removable bottom.Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 5 days.
Filling: In small bowl over simmering (not boiling) water, melt chocolate with butter. (Alternatively, microwave at High for 45 seconds; stir until smooth.) Let cool slightly. In bowl, whisk egg yolk with sugar; whisk in chocolate mixture. Beat egg white until stiff peaks form; whisk one-third into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining egg white.
Peel, halve and core pear. Thinly slice one half crosswise; line bottom of pastry shell with overlapping slices. Pour chocolate mixture into shell. Thinly slice remaining pear half crosswise; starting at outer edge, arrange slices over filling in concentric circles to resemble petals.
Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is set and firm to the touch, yet center is still moist. Let cool on rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
