Pear Walnut Chocolate Tart

Instructions

To make the crust:

1. Prepare ¼ cup ice-cold water and keep in fridge. In a food processor, pulse the flour, shortening, sugar and salt until combined. Add in half of the butter and pulse for 30 seconds. Add in the rest of butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons cold water over mixture and pulse until dough comes together in clumps. If dry, add a little bit more water (1 teaspoon at a time). Remove dough from processor and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 15-30 minutes before rolling out.
2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 9-inch round tart pan. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the crust with foil and top with pie weights or beans. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are golden then remove the foil and pie weights and continue baking until the crust is golden all over, another 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Make the filling:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and add the pears. Simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and spread onto paper towels and let cool.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and spread the walnuts. Toast in oven until golden, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the toasted walnuts, powdered sugar, egg, cinnamon and salt. Pulse to form a paste.
3. Spoon the walnut filling into the cooled crust and spread evenly. Press the pears and chocolate chips into the filling,. Bake until the filling is puffed and golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Serve with a scoop of ice-cream if desired.