Elegant Mincemeat Pear Tart Recipes

JOAN'S PEAR TART

Steps:

• Beat the first 4 ingredients together until well blended and then add the pecans to the mixture and mix well.
• Press into an 11 inch round tart pan (use the one with a removable bottom for best presentation).
• Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla for the filling and pour over the crust.
• Arrange the drained pear halves in a pretty design on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and then turn the heat down to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
• Remove side from tart pan to serve.
• Serve warm and if desired garnish with whipped cream.

PEAR MINCEMEAT DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a glass baking dish, place one bartlett pear half, well drained from a tin, for each serving-- place with the cavity up.
• For each pear half, place one tbsp mincemeat (use a good quality product) in a small mixing bowl and add 1/2 tsp brandy for each tbsp of mincemeat; you don't have to use the brandy, though, if you don't want to, or you can substitute another spirit for the brandy (try Grand Marnier, or port).
• Stir brandy and mincemeat together, then place one tbsp into the cavity in each pear half.
• Bake pears for 20 minutes; serve warm, with lots of freshly whipped cream (if your waistline can take it).

CARAMELIZED PEAR TART

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan with removeable sides.
• In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and pulse briefly to mix.
• Add the shortening and cut it into the flour mixture using quick on/off pulses until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and the vanilla and process just until moist clumps form, pulsing the processor on and off.
• Gather the dough into a ball and using your fingertips, press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the preapred tart pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Halve each pear lengthwise and scoop out the core with a melon baller or spoon. Peel and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. There should be about 5 cups.
• Melt the butter over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet and stir in the brown sugar. When the sugar has dissolved and is bubbly, add the pears to the skillet sprinkling them with lemon juice and let the pears cook in the sugar syrup, stirring gently so as not to break up the slices. The pears will, at first, release quite a bit of juice - allow this to simmer until the liquid reduces to a thick syrup and the pears have begun to caramelize. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F Gently spoon the pears into the prepared tart shell, spreading them out evenly. Sprnikle with the sliced almonds. Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F and continue baking for 25-30 minutes, until the almonds are toasted and pear filling is bubbly.
• Let cool before removing the sides of the tart pan to serve.

QUICK CRUSTLESS PEAR TART

Steps:

• Grease and flour a glass pie pan.
• Beat all ingredients together, except pears and nutmeg.
• Pour batter into pie pan.
• Press pear slices on top of batter, in a spiral design.
• Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.
• Bake in 350 degree oven, 25-35 minutes, until center is set and tart is lightly browned.
• Don't overcook.
• Serve warm or cold.

ELEGANT MINCEMEAT PEAR TART

Steps:

• PREPARE PASTRY DOUGH: In medium bowl, with fork, stir flour and sugar. With pastry blender or two knives used scissor fashion, cut margarine or butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix lightly with fork until dough is just moist enough to hold together. (Or, in food processor with knife blade attached, blend flour, margarine or butter, cut into 8 pieces, and sugar until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. Add egg through feed tube; blend 15 seconds more or until dough holds together and leaves side of bowl.) With hands, shape dough into ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour; trim edge. With fork, prick tart shell in many places to prevent puffing and shrinkage during baking.
• Line tart shell with foil; bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; again prick dough. Bake 10 minutes longer. Remove tart shell from oven; turn oven control to 425°F.
• PREPARE STREUSEL TOPPING: In small bowl, combine flour and lightly brow sugar. With pastry blender or two knives used scissor fashion, cut margarine or butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 350°F On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll out dough into round about 1 inch larger all around than 10inch tart pan with removable bottom.
• Ease dough into tart pan to line evenly.
• Drain pears; pat dry with paper towels. Cut each pear half lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices, being careful to keep slices from each half together. Arrange pears on mincemeat, fanning slices slightly.
• With spoon, evenly sprinkle Streusel Topping over sliced pears in tart shell.
• Bake tart 15 to 20 minutes until filling is heated through and crust and topping are lightly browned. Cool tart slightly in pan on wire rack.
• Remove side of pan. Serve tart warm or cool completely to serve later. 10 servings. Begin about 2 hours before serving or early in day.
• Good Housekeeping.