Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set thawed puff pastry on a floured surface.
2. Peel, halve and core pears. Slice each half into 3 slices.
3. In a heavy, ovenproof 9-inch skillet or tarte Tatin dish over medium-high heat, melt butter. Stir in sugars and lemon juice. Reduce heat to medium. Add cardamom and ginger, and cook, stirring, until mixture has a loose syrup consistency. Remove from heat.
4. Taking care not to burn your hands, arrange pear slices in pan, slightly overlapping, in concentric circles. (You may not need all the pears.) Return skillet to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Roll pastry dough into a 10-inch circle about ¼-inch thick. Remove skillet from heat. Blanket pears with pastry round. Use the back of a spoon to gently tuck outer edge of pastry between pears and skillet. (It will form the sides of the tart once you flip it.) Use a sharp knife to poke 6 small slits in pastry.
6. Place skillet on a baking sheet, as juices may run over during baking. Bake until pastry is golden-brown, about 25 minutes.
7. Set aside to cool for five minutes. Run a butter knife around edges of tart to loosen any bits stuck to the side. To flip the tart, place a sturdy plate at least 10 inches in diameter over the skillet. Use a potholder to grip the handle of the skillet in one hand and place your other hand flat on the back of the plate. Flip the tart. Tap the skillet to encourage any stuck bits to dislodge.
8. Don’t worry if some pears stick to the skillet. Remove with a spatula and rearrange on the tart. Serve warm with dollops of cool crème fraiche.