Instructions: In medium saucepan with heavy bottom, combine 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water; stir to combine. Place on high heat; heat to a boil and cook, 15 to 20 minutes, until mixture starts to turn color. Mixture should be a dark mahogany color; do not let it burn. Carefully pour into a 10-inch glass pie plate, tilting and rotating the pan until all sides and bottom are well coated. Set aside. Peel, core and halve pears. Place 8 pear halves in pie plate in a concentric circle, cut side up, with rounded pear base toward outside. (It will look like spokes of a wheel.) Fill center with decorative pieces of pear. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and ginger in small bowl; sprinkle pear layer with half of butter and half of gingered sugar.

Coarsely chop remaining 8 pear halves and spread evenly over first layer; sprinkle with remaining butter and sugar. Center pie crust circle over pie plate; allow at least 1-inch overhang and trim off any uneven edges. Fold the overhAnging crust under the top circle of crust. Flute or crimp edge if desired. Cut three 1-inch air vents in crust. Bake, centered on a rimmed cookie sheet or round pizza pan at 425 F 40 minutes or until crust is very crispy. Remove from oven to cooling rack; let stand 5 minutes. Place heatproof, deep serving plate, inverted, onto pie crust. Carefully invert the tart (there will be hot juice that will leak out). Let pie plate sit on tart so that caramel on bottom of dish loosens and tops pears. Remove pie plate. Serve with caramel sauce that accumulates in serving plate and Creme Fraiche, if desired.

8 servings.

Note: If some caramel remains in pie plate, microwave at HIGH 3 minutes to soften; drizzle carefully over pears.

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