Serves 8. Be sure to make a good strong tea (I used about one tablespoon of loose Earl Grey tea leaves to the two cups of water) for soaking the prunes.

1 partially pre-baked and cooked flaky sweet pastry shell
2 cups strong black tea
1 pound prunes, pitted

The cream filling

1/4 cup whole unbleached almonds
1 large egg, slightly beaten
5 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp eau-de-vie or brandy
3/4 cup heavy cream

The garnish

1 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar

• At least one hour before preparing the tart, pour the hot tea aver the prunes and set aside to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Prepare the cream filling:
  • In a spice grinder or the bowl of a food processor, grind the almonds to a fine powder.
  • Thoroughly blend the almonds with the egg, sugar, brandy, and cream.
  • The mixture should be very smooth.
• Drain the prunes, discarding all of the soaking liquid.
• Carefully arrange the prunes in the cooled, pre-baked tart shell.
• This will seem like a lot of prunes, and you may have to arrange them in two layers.
• Pour the cream filling over the prunes and place the tart in the center of the oven.
• Bake until the cream filling has set and the tart shell is nicely browned, about 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Source: Patricia Wells, New York Times Magazine (11/5/89)

Buy the pears a few days in advance. They should be ripe but firm.

Pate sucrée

For 2 galettes – 10 1/2 inch pie pans

3 cups of all purpose flour
2 1/2 sticks of sweet butter, softened
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
1 egg & 1 egg yolk beaten
1 cup of roasted pecan (ground in food processor)

• Combine the ingredients in a bowl and work until you can form a ball that holds together.
• Place on the table and smear the mixture with the palm of your hand a few times.
• Divide into 2 pieces.
• Reserve one piece and refrigerate.
• Roll the other into a 12 inch round about 1/4 inch thick.
• It helps to roll the dough on a plastic sheet that provides good support when the dough is lifted around the rolling pin, then unrolled into the pie shell. This step can be tricky when the dough is too soft since it breaks easily. Either refrigerate it for a while or simply press the dough in the pie pan by hand.
• Make a border about 1/2 inch high (thicker at the base for preventing border from collapsing during cooking).
• Cut off any dough above that and reserve with the other half of the dough in the refrigerator for another pie.
• Refrigerate until firm while preheating the oven at 400°F.
• Cook for 12 to 15 min.

Filling

4 or 5 pears thinly sliced (half then quartered, each quarter cut into 3 segments)
1 egg
1/2 cup of cream
1/2 cup of ground roasted pecans
2 tsp of sugar

• Preheat oven to 375 °F
• Arrange the segments in a circular pattern like a flower. In the center overlap segments in a straight line. It’s easier.
• Mix the egg, the cream, the sugar and the pecans.
• Pour over the space between the pears.
• Cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle sugar all over the pie and put under the broiler until slightly brown.
• This pie is best eaten at room temperature or slightly warm.

Pate sucrée

3 cups of all purpose flour
2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg & 1 egg yolk

• Combine ingredients in a bowl and work until it holds together.
• Place on the counter and smear the mixture with the palm of your hand a few times.
• Divide into 2 pieces. Refrigerate.
• Roll into a 10 inch round about 1/4 inch thick.
• Place in preheated oven at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Orange custard

4 egg yolks
1/3 cup of sugar
4 Tbsp of pastry flour
a pinch of grated orange peel
1 1/2 cups of orange juice
4 Tbsp of sweet butter
1 Tbsp of Cointreau
8 California navel oranges for the decoration (skin of each wedge removed)

• Beat the yolks and the sugar until pale yellow (about 5 minutes).
• Add the pastry flour, the orange peel and finally the orange juice in a continuous stream.
• Transfer the mixture to a 3 1/2 quart saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat until the mixture becomes very thick (about 10 minutes).
• Cool the pan in cold water and continue mixing.
• Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.
• Cream 4 Tbsp of butter with the heel of your hand to soften it and whisk into the orange custard a little at a time.
• Add the Cointreau.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate.

Assembling the tart

• Fill the tart shell with the orange custard.
• Just before serving, arrange the wedges in concentric circles to make a sunburst design.