2½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup fine semolina
¾ cup icing sugar
225 grams unsalted buttr, chilled and diced
2 egg yolks
a little water
grated rind 2 lemons
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
6 medium-sized ripe pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1. Put the flour, baking powder, semolina, icing sugar and chilled diced butter into a food processor and process until the mixture resembles crumbs.
2. Mix the egg yolks with about 2 tablespoons of water and pulse in to the dry ingredients until the mixture forms small moist balls of dough. Add more water if necessary.
3. Turn out onto a board and bring together to form a ball. Roll two-thirds out to cover the base and sides of a 24cm loose-bottomed flan. Place in the refrigerator with the remaining pastry while preparing the filling.
4. In a bowl beat together the lemon rind, sour cream, sugar and eggs. Toss the prepared pears in the mixture. Pour the filling into the prepared flan.
5. Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the flan, sealing the edges together well. Decorate with any pastry scraps.
6. Bake in the middle of the oven at 220ºC for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 180ºC for another 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden and the pears are tender on the inside. Serve warm or cold.
A favourite of mine when entertaining. Use ripe pears for the sweetest most delicious filling.