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Puff Pastry Pear Tart

by Kai Rasmussen

Recipe and images from Grand Central Bakery and Cafe.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Puff Pastry
  • 3-4 firm-ripe pears (Anjou is a good variety)
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, or allspice
  • Almond filling (optional, see below)

Prepare puff pastry
Defrost puff pastry overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for about 1 ½ hours. Unroll sheet, cut a 12-by-16 inch rectangle and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate. Return remaining pastry to freezer for future use.

Prepare filling
Halve and core pears. Place flat side on cutting board and use a chef’s knife to cut slices between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Combine sugars and spices and set aside (if using almond filling, omit spices).

Create border
Use a paring knife to trace a smaller rectangle on the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border. Be careful not to cut all the way through the dough. The 1-inch border will puff up and be the edge of the tart. Use a fork to dock, or poke small holes in, the center rectangle.

pear_tart_shingled

Shingle the pears, alternating directions and making sure to stay inside border. This smaller 12-by-8-inch tart serves about 6. For a larger tart, you will have several rows of shingled pears.

Shingle fruit and top with sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread optional almond filling (see recipe below) on pastry inside the border.
Shingle pears, laying slices as close together as possible. Alternate directions of the slices, keeping the wide end at the outside of the tart without covering the border. Sprinkle sugar mixture over fruit and chill for 20 minutes or overnight (if chilling overnight, pears will release some of their juices. You can use a pastry brush to brush juices on the pastry border for a pretty, golden effect.).

Bake
Bake tart in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue baking for 15-20 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and pears are tender. Serve warm or at room temperature with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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