Triple ginger tart with red pears

1. Pastry Sift the flour, sugar and 2ml salt.
Rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

2. Add about 60ml ice-cold water, tossing
the mixture with a fork until it is soft but not sticky.
Form the dough into a ball, wrap in clingwrap and refrigerate for an hour.

3. Roll out the dough to a thickness of
about 3mm on a lightly floured surface
and use it to line two 20cm pie tins.
Trim the excess dough, crimp the edges
decoratively and freeze the shells for
15 minutes.
Bake blind in a preheated
oven until golden.

4. Filling Mix the crystallised ginger with 60g (70ml) of the sugar.

5. Beat the cream cheese until smooth.

Mix the remaining sugar with the flour
and beat into the cream cheese.

6. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then
beat in the lemon juice, fresh ginger and
ground ginger.
Spoon the mixture into
the prepared shells and sprinkle with the
crystallised ginger mixture.

7. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden.
Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then remove the ring carefully and set aside to cool completely.
Serve sliced with red pears (recipe below).

Red pears: Peel, halve and core four firm pears.
Combine 750ml red wine, or 250ml wine and 250ml water, with 130g
(155ml) sugar, a cinnamon stick, three
cloves and five black peppercorns in a
saucepan.
Bring to the boil and boil for one minute.
Add the pears and simmer, uncovered, until the pears are just tender.
Leave to cool in the wine and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Serve with the triple ginger tart.