I love clafouti, especially with ripe pears, but I always felt something was missing. To make a great French dessert even better, I added a buttery crust. That thin, crisp layer makes a world of difference. Tender pears soaked with caramelized honey do, too.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 8

　　Shortbread dough (page 217)

　　5 tablespoons clover honey

　　8 very small or 4 medium pears, peeled, quartered, and cored

　　2 large eggs

　　2 large egg yolks

　　1/2 cup granulated sugar

　　3 tablespoons cornstarch

　　1 cup heavy cream

　　1 cup sliced blanched almonds

　　Confectioners’ sugar, for serving

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

　　

Step 2

Form the shortbread dough into a disk and center in a 10-inch-round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Use your palm to gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan, then use your fingers to press it up the sides. (The dough will be very thin.) Refrigerate the dough for 5 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Meanwhile, heat the honey in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add the pears in a single layer and cook, carefully turning the fruit, until they’re almost translucent and very tender, about 7 minutes. Almost all of the honey will have evaporated.

　　

Step 5

Whisk together the eggs, yolks, and granulated sugar until pale and foamy. Whisk in the cornstarch until no lumps remain, then whisk in the cream until the mixture is smooth.

　　

Step 6

Arrange the pears in the crust in a single layer, then pour the egg mixture over them. The tart shell will be very full. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake until the custard is set and the top is dark brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then remove the tart ring.

　　

Step 7

Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.