Pear Tart

This cinnamon and cream cheese pear tart makes for a beautiful end to a holiday meal as it’s stunning and delicious, but it’s so quick and easy that it’s no trouble to throw together as an everyday dessert.

Like many of my recent favorite recipes, this pear tart came from necessity to use up excess produce I had on hand from making the fortuitous mistake of thinking that we’d be able to consume the weekly 20lbs of organic produce subscription that I signed up for during the pandemic. So. Many. Pears. I honestly have never been much of a pear fan, but my 4 year old loves them, so I kept adding them to my produce box without taking into consideration that it was unlikely that she’d consume 6+ pears in a week.

Nevertheless, they say necessity is the mother of invention. I’m not much of an inventor, but I’m a definitely a “find things I like or look good and tweak them” type. This recipe is adapted from one found on Taste of Home.

This recipe cuts the best when allowed to chill in the fridge after baking/cooling, but we can’t always wait that long to dig in! These pictures were taken while the tart was still warm (it smelled too good to wait to cut!), so you can see the cream cheese isn’t quite set, but don’t be deterred- it is absolutely lovely when chilled.

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Pear Tart

Yield: 12

Author: Vivian Kyle

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 45 M

Quick and easy Pear Tart with a cream cheese filling, crisp crust, and plenty of cinnamon.

Ingredients

Crust

• 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (35g) finely chopped almonds (pecans or walnuts also work well)

Filling

• 1-8oz package (225g) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (55g) sugar plus extra for dusting
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4-5 fresh pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8" slices thin slices (bosc pears are my go to)
• Ground cinnamon to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). If not using a non-stick pan, coat tart pan with cooking spray.
2. For crust: Using a mixer or pastry cutter in a medium sized bowl, beat butter, sugar, and cinnamon until crumbly. Do not overmix. Beat in flour and nuts until uniform. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9" fluted tart pan with a removeable bottom.
3. For filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla and continue to beat until creamy and smooth. Spread onto prepared crust. Arrange pear slices on top starting at the outside edge of the tart, slightly overlapping slices all the way around, working your way in with overlapping rows until completely covered. Sprinkle with approximately 1 tablespoon of sugar and ground cinnamon to taste (1/4-1/2 teaspoon recommended).
4. Bake for 10 mins at 425°F. Reduce oven setting to 350°F (175°C); bake until filling is set, 15-20 minutes. Cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes:

Special Tools: Mini Food Processor | Tart Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Hand Mixer

Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, and pecans all work beautifully for the crust and can be used interchangeably. Blitz in a food processor or chop finely before adding to crust mixture.

Pears: Bosc pears are my go to, but you can definitely switch out for any baking friendly pear varieties. I recommend using crisp, ripe pears as overripe ones can go too grainy.

Cooling/Chilling: Can't wait 3 hours for this tart to cool and chill before trying it? Or you're in a rush? It's delicious warm! Cooling and chilling helps firm up and set the cream cheese filling, but not explicitly necessary.

https://www.belladonna-botanicals.com/recipes/pear-tart

tart, pear, cinnamon, cream cheese, holiday

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