Tarte aux poires

Cookie Dough Crust:
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

For the Filling:

Juice of 1 lemon
4-6 ripe pears, peeled, cored and halved
or, a large can of pear halves

Custard filling:
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

-Sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (175 c.).
1.In a bowl, mix the flour, butter, salt and sugar until the mixture resembles coarse flour.
Mix the dough. It will be crumbly. Pat the dough in an 11 inch spring form pan with a removable bottom.
Bake in the lower third of the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove and cool.

2.Reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees.

Mix lemon juice with enough water to cover the pears and parboil pears. (I use canned pear halves.) Drain.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, eggs, flour, and salt, beating until pale yellow and thick. Beat the melted butter in to the sugar mixture and then the vanilla. Set aside.

4. Arrange the pears in the baked pastry shell.
Pour the egg mixture over the pears.
Sprinkle with sliced almonds.