Pear Tarts
An Accidental Dessert: Pear Tarts
The other day I poached some pears. I was trying to recreate a savory tart – pears with cheese – that I saw on the internet. The tart was not a big success. It was fine but it had a layer of whole grain mustard, two kinds of cheese, and the pears, and that mustard was just not a win. That means, of course, that I had a bunch of poached pears left over. There was also a second sheet of puff pastry in the freezer. What better way to use up my ingredients than with pear tarts?
No Complicated Steps or Techniques
This pear tart is delicious and, I have to say, one of the easiest desserts you will ever make. There is no mixing! There is no kneading! You simply poach the pears, place them on prepared puff pastry, and top with cinnamon sugar.
Great Pear Tarts Start with Poached Pears
To poach the pears, start with a simple syrup of 1 quart of water and 1 cup of sugar. Heat them together over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the syrup is ready, you can add in the spice of your choice: cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, whole cloves. I decided to use star anise because I love the smell – and the shape. Drop peeled, cored, sliced pears (I used three) into the syrup with your spice and let them simmer. You do need to be careful not to let the pears get too mushy. The pears I used were pretty ripe, so I simmered them for about 15 minutes.
Puff Pastry, the Pastry it is Acceptable to Buy
Poached pears are really good on their own. I did have that puff pastry sitting around, though, and pear tarts just seemed so delicious – and sort of fancy. Puff pastry thaws pretty quickly. I took it out and let the pears cool. When the pastry was ready, I placed it on a sheet of parchment paper and rolled it out just a bit. Rolling it out on the paper prevents sticking and makes it easier to transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
Put it All Together
Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, make four rectangles of dough. I decided I would like a nice puffy border, so I scored a light line of about ½ inch in each. Slice the pears into medium thin pieces and layer them, overlapping a bit, on the dough. They should be in the rectangle inside of the border you made. An egg wash will make your puff pastry golden. Brush the wash on the dough border. I finished up by sprinkling cinnamon sugar over the whole thing, dough included.
Pear Tarts: An Easy, Fancy Dessert
After about 17 minutes at 420 degrees, your pear tart should be golden brown with a flaky, puffy border. Because the pears were poached and not raw, they will be tender and delicious. All-in-all, this pear tart is one of the easiest fancy-looking desserts you can make!
Pear Tarts
Ingredients
Poached Pears
- 3 Bosc or Anjou pears
- 1 quart water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 star anise See notes
Pear Tarts
- 2-3 poached pears
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Poached Pears
- Peel, core, and quarter 3 pears.
- Add 1 quart of water and 1 cup of sugar to a large saucepan.
- Heat the water and sugar over medium high heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Stir regularly throughout the process.
- Add the star anise. See the notes for other spice suggestions.
- Add the pears to the simple syrup and star anise. Cook until tender but not too mushy. Make sure you check them regularly by piercing them with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife. Mine only took about 15 minutes because they were rather ripe.
- Drain the pears and set them aside. You will need them to be cool enough to handle.
Pear Tarts
- Once the pears are nearly cool enough to touch, thaw one sheet of puff pastry.
- Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.
- Place the thawed pastry on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Roll out the pastry just a bit until you have a rectangle. You don't want it too thin or it won't hold the fruit.
- Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into four rectangles.
- Make a shallow cut in each rectangle about 1/2 inch in on all sides to create a border. DON'T CUT IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH!
- Slice the pears into medium-thin slices. NOTE: You may have some pears left.
- Place the pears in the center of the dough, overlapping.
- Mix up some cinnamon sugar: in a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. You will definitely have some left.
- Make an egg wash by add one large egg to a small cup and beat it with 1 tbsp water.
- Brush the border of the puff pastry with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle each tart with the cinnamon sugar, both the fruit and the egg washed border.
- Carefully transfer the parchment sheet with the tarts to a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake until golden brown and puffy, about 17 minutes. Make sure to check on the tarts as they bake because puff pastry cooks quickly near the end. As always, check by looking through the door, not by opening the oven.
- These are best eaten the day they are made. If you want to save them, wrap them in foil and/or store them in an airtight container.
