Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry cut in half lengthwise to make 2 long rectangles

1 pound blanched almonds

Ï€ cup sugar

6 pears (use 3 different varieties, with different shapes and colors), stemmed and sliced (seeds, skins, and all)

Honey

4 ounces good-quality blue cheese

1 egg white beaten with a drizzle of water, for glazing

Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Lay one of the pastry rectangles on the back of a sheet pan; save the other rectangle for another use.  Use a pairing knife to score a line around the perimeter of the rectangle, about 1 inch from the edge, to make a border.  Use a fork to poke holes inside the border so that the dough will remain flat as it cooks; the border will puff to create a lip for the tart.

Combine the almonds, sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a food processor and grind to a paste.  Spread the paste over just the inside of the pastry rectangle.  Arrange the pear slices over the almond paste.  Drizzle with honey and crumble the blue cheese over the top.

Brush the pastry border with egg glaze and bake until the pastry is puffed and browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Tags: blue cheese, honey, pear, tart