Individual Pear Tartlets Recipes

STACEY BERK

Steps:

• Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Carefully slice the pears thinly lengthwise or use a mandolin.
• Place orange quarters in a large microwave safe bowl filled with water. Carefully add the sliced pears. Microwave for 6-8 minutes. Steep the pears in the warm citrus water for a few minutes. Fully drain the water from the pear mixture. Discard the citrus. Toss the pears with remaining filling extract, syrup, and spices. Set aside while preparing the puff pastry.
• Roll the pastry into two slightly larger 10" square on a floured surface or parchment paper. Cut each sheet into 6 rectangles (equaling 12 pieces of pastry). Place the rectangles on the parchment paper, 6 pieces per sheet.
• Place the pears on top of the pastry rectangles, arranging them neatly as shown. Chill the tarts for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400F. Apply the egg mixture all over exterior of the tarts. Sprinkle the demerara sugar generously over the tarts. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tarts gently with warm preserves. Using a spatula, transfer to a cooling rack.

MINI PEAR TARTS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220ºC (200º fan) 425ºF, gas 7.
• Cut circles from the pastry slightly larger than the length of the pear halves.
• Place the pastry circles on a greased cookie sheet and brush the tops with the melted butter.
• Place a pear half in the centre of each pastry circle, press them down gently then bake in the oven for 5 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown.
• Meanwhile, gently whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.
• Dust the tartlets which the icing sugar and serve with the whipped cream.

RUSTIC PEAR TART

Steps:

• To prepare the crust, in a medium bowl whisk together the whole-wheat pastry flour, all- purpose flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the butter and using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until you get a pebbly, course texture. In a small bowl combine the buttermilk and ice water. Using a fork, gradually mix the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Pat the dough into a 4-inch round and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and prepare the filling. Peel the pears, core them and cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl toss the pear slices with the lemon juice. Sprinkle in the cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon and toss until the pears are evenly coated. Set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a large circle about nine inches in diameter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draping the dough over the rolling pin, transfer to the prepared baking sheet. If the dough breaks at all patch it up with your fingers.
• Arrange the pears in a mound in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch boarder. Fold the border over the filling. It will only cover the pears partially and does not need to be even.
• Bake the tart for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, keeping the tart in the oven all the while, and bake for another 40 minutes, until the pears are tender and the crust is golden brown.
• In a small bowl stir together the honey and boiling water to make a glaze. When the tart is done remove it from the oven and brush the honey glaze all over the top of the fruit and crust. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut into 6 wedges and serve warm or a room temperature.

INDIVIDUAL PEAR TARTLETS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. On work surface sprinkled with 3 tablespoons flour, roll puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 6 (4-inch) rounds. Cut additional shapes, such as leaves or stars, from scraps. Place rounds on 1 cookie sheet and shapes on second cookie sheet. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Bake rounds 7 minutes; cool. (Do not prebake additional shapes.)
• In large bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, melted butter and lemon juice. Gently stir in pear slices.
• Arrange pear slices in concentric circles on prebaked rounds, stacking pears about 2 inches high; insert 2 skewers in top of each tart to secure pears. Drizzle with any remaining sugar mixture from bowl.
• Bake tarts and shapes 15 minutes or until shapes are puffed and golden brown. Remove shapes to cooling rack. Bake tarts 10 minutes longer or until golden brown and slightly caramelized.
• To serve, place tarts on dessert plates. Garnish with baked pastry shapes, sweetened whipped cream and nutmeg.

WARM BRIE AND PEAR TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
• Arrange tart shells onto prepared pan. Put a piece of Brie cheese into each shell. Sprinkle diced pear and a couple thyme leaves into each shell and drizzle with honey.
• Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted and tarts are golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

PEAR TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Beat butter, sugar and cinnamon until crumbly. Beat in flour and walnuts. Press onto bottom and up sides of a 9-in. fluted tart pan with a removable bottom coated with cooking spray., For filling, beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Spread into crust. Arrange pears over top. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over pears., Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°; bake until filling is set, 15-20 minutes. Cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

PEAR AND MARZIPAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200c, 400f, gas mark 6. Place the Cordial in a saucepan with 120ml water, bring to a simmer. Peel and halve the pears, remove the core and pips. Place in the syrup and poach for approx 10 minutes, turning half way through, until just cooked. Remove the pears, bring the cooking liquid to a boil and allow to reduce for 5-10 minutes until syrupy.
• Roll out the pastry to approx 4mm thick. Cut into 10cm circles. Place on a baking sheet. Knock up the edges and score to get a line 1/2cm from the edge with a sharp knife.
• Cut the pear into slices, leaving the stalk end intact. Divide the marzipan into even pieces, place on the pastry circles. Fan out the pears on top of the marzipan. Brush with the syrup. Cook for approx 20-30 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden. Serve with a drizzle of the remaining syrup with Greek yoghurt or cream.

PEAR TARTLETS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Cut pastry into 4 squares. On ungreased cookie sheet, place pastry squares.
• Peel pear, and cut into quarters; remove seeds. Slice each pear quarter into very thin slices. Arrange pear slices over pastry squares, leaving 1/2-inch border.
• Bake about 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and browned. Spread 1 tablespoon preserves over top of each warm tartlet to cover pears. Cool on cookie sheet 10 minutes before serving.

BLUE CHEESE & PEAR FILLING FOR MINI-TARTLETS (GERMAN)

Steps:

• Mash cheese w/a fork in a bowl. Mix in the celery + black pepper, gradually beat in the cream cheese & fold in the chives. Chill in the fridge till required.
• Peel, quarter & core pears 20-30 min b4 serving. Cut crossways into slices & mix w/the lemon juice to stop them turning brown (I usually use my pastry brush for this).
• Fill 18 pre-baked mini-tartlet shells w/the cheese mixture, stand a pear piece on top & sprinkle lightly w/poppy seeds (if using).

BLUE CHEESE AND PEAR TARTLETS

Steps:

• Pre-bake phyllo shells according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
• Mix together blue cheese, pear, and cream. Season to taste with pepper. Spoon mixture into cooled shells.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

PEAR AND CHOCOLATE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Poach the pears: put the water to boil together with the suger and the vanillapod (grate off the vanilla seeds first), add the peeled pears (whitout cutting them) and let simmer for half an hour. Let the pears cool in their syrup.
• Prepare the tartlet crust: beat the egg with the sugar, the butter, the hazelnuts and the salt. Add the flour sifted with the cocoa powder and film the dough with alimentary plastic. Put into the freezer for 30 minutes, then transfer into the fridge for other 30 minutes. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before using.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 5.
• Roll out the dough to 2-3mm and line 8 tartlets with the dough. Bake the tartlet in the oven for about 15 minutes and let them cool.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Beat the eggs and the yolks together with the sugar, add the melted chocolate and the butter.
• Poor 2 tbsp of the chocolate mixture in each baked tartlet, add a quarter of a drained pear and top with more chocolate untill the tartlets are filled. Put back in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature.