Savory Pear Tart

Ingredients

• 4 ounces feta cheese divided
• 1.3 cups flour plus more for rolling
• 1 tablespoon sage fresh chopped
• 2 tablespoons sage fresh chopped
• 0.3 cup honey 
• 2 teaspoons juice of lemon fresh
• 3 slices pears cored ripe sliced
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons shortening frozen
• 5 tablespoons butter unsalted cold cut into cubes

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• oven
• plastic wrap
• aluminum foil
• tart form

Directions

1. Make the tart shell: In a food processor, pulse 1 1/4 cups flour, the salt, sage, butter, and shortening 3 or 4 times until fats are pea-size and coated with flour.
2. Add 3 to 4 tbsp. ice water and pulse a few more times, just until a dough starts to form and pulls away from the inside of the bowl. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11-in. circle. Line a 9-in. tart pan with the dough, pressing into sides; trim excess along rim. Chill 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 35
5. Set a piece of foil or parchment (large enough to hang over the tart pan edge) on top of dough and fill with dried beans or pie weights.
6. Bake until dough is dry, about 15 minutes.
7. Remove tart shell from oven, and carefully lift out foil and beans or weights. Return tart shell to oven and bake until center is dry and light golden, about 10 more minutes.
8. Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine pears, lemon juice, and sage. Evenly crumble about three-quarters of the cheese into the warm tart shell. Arrange pear slices in an overlapping spiral, starting with the outer edge and working toward the center. Crumble remaining feta over pears, then drizzle with honey.
9. Bake until cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
10. *Bartlett, Bosc, and Comice pears all work well in this recipe. Peel them if you prefer, or if they are underripe.