Gordon Ramsay's Pear and Rum Tatin

Ingredients:
pears, peeled, halved, seeded and cored
star anise
vanilla beans, slivered into faux pear cores
white granulated sugar
unsalted butter
rum
puff pastry
confectioners' sugar

vanilla ice cream

Preparing the tatin:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a vanilla bean shard where the core had been and a star anise into the seed cavity of each pear half. Turn the pears over and place puff pastry over the top where the skin had been. Set aside.

In a hot pan, sprinkle the white granulated sugar. Wait until it dissolves and just until it starts smoking, add the butter and swirl to melt, then the rum, and flame to burn off the alcohol.

Place the pears onto the caramel, sprinkle confectioners' sugar generously over the top of the puff pastry and place in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Serves with vanilla ice cream.