Fall Gingered Pear Tart Tatin

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 425F 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.