Pastry: 1½c flour

2 Tb sugar

1 tsp lemon peel

¼ c butter, cut into ¼ inch slices

¼ c whipping cream

Filling: 2 lb. pears, mixed variety, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

5 Tb sugar

1 Tb + 2 tsp flour

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon peel

¼ tsp nutmeg

whipping cream, for brushing

2 Tb sliced almonds

Pastry: Whisk flour, sugar, lemon peel in medium bowl. Add butter, using fingertips, rub in butter until coarse meal forms. Drizzle ¼ cup cream over: toss with fork until moist clumps form, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls as needed if dry. Gather dough into ball: flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. Filling: Preheat oven to 400°. Mix all pears, sugar, flour, lemom juice, lemon peel, and nutmeg in large bowl to coat. Roll out patry on sheet of floured parchment paper to 14 inch round. Transfer crust on paper to baking sheet. Mound pears in center of pastry, leaving 2 inch plain border. Fold pastry border over pears, crimping slightly. Brush pastry edges with cream: sprinkle with sliced alsmond. Bake croustade until filling bubbles and almonds are lightly toasted, about 1 hour.