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pam's rustic caramel pear tart

(2 ratings)
wmnofoz avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Pam Ellingson
@wmnofoz
Wichita, KS

This recipe came from the necessity of using up some pears I had peeled but didn't use. I love to experiment, so this tart has a cream cheese custard filling with sliced pears, caramel, and white chocolate drizzles. Hubby says it is a keeper. :) There is a variation of this tart at the end of this recipe.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

You can enjoy this pastry for breakfast or dessert. The puff pastry crust is a little crunchy. Cream cheese and pears are a divine duo and combine to make a tasty filling. Mixing cream cheese, sugar, and egg sort of forms a cheesecake-like filling once baked. We can't wait to make this again.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(2 ratings)
yield 4 to 6
prep time 15 Min
cook time 35 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For pam's rustic caramel pear tart

  • 1/2 box
    puff pastry sheet, thawed (1 sheet)
  • 2 - 4
    ripe, peeled and sliced pears 1/4" slices
  • 2 tsp
    lemon juice
  • 8 oz
    softened cream cheese
  • 1/3 c
    sugar
  • 1 lg
    egg
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla
  • 2 to 4 Tbsp
    sugar and cinnamon mixture
  • Hershey's classic caramel topping for drizzling
  • melted white chocolate or thin vanilla powdered sugar icing for drizzling

How To Make pam's rustic caramel pear tart

  • Prepped puff pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
    1
    Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 1 1/2 hr. Take out one sheet, unfold on a lightly floured or vegetable sprayed counter. Cut 1/2 - 3/4 inch strips from all four sides of the sheet. Moisten the edges of the large sheet and place the strips on the edges of the rectangle. These will puff up and form a thicker edge. Prick the main base all over with a fork to keep it from rising too much while baking. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet and refrigerate for about 1 hour while making the filling.
  • Cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg mixed together.
    2
    Mix the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg with a hand mixer until smooth and well blended. Scrape the bowl a couple of times to make sure you have it all mixed. Set aside.
  • Sliced pears on a plate.
    3
    Peel, core and slice pears into about 1/4" slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside. Heat oven to 375 F with the rack in the middle of the oven.
  • Puff pastry topped with cream cheese mixture and pears.
    4
    Take the pastry out of the fridge and spread the cream cheese mixture over the inside of the rectangle, trying not to go over the edge strips. Lay the pear slices as close as possible together to cover most of the custard mixture, again,keeping them off the edge pastry strip.
  • Caramel Pear Tart baking in the oven.
    5
    Sprinkle the pears and pastry edges with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. (I sometimes use a little more straight cinnamon sprinkled on top) Bake at 375° F for 25 to 35 minutes or until the crust gets a nice golden brown and the pears are browned and tender.
  • Pam's Rustic Caramel Pear Tart with caramel sauce and white chocolate on top.
    6
    Remove from the oven. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Microwave some of the caramel topping in a small bowl until semi-liquid. Drizzle the entire surface with a light coating of caramel. Then melt some of the white chocolate (about 3 to 4 oz) until spreadable, and either drizzle with a fork over the top, or place the warm chocolate in a small zipper bag, cut off a tiny tip of the bag and squeeze the chocolate over in a pretty pattern. Let cool or serve warm with ice cream if desired.
  • 7
    For the Variation: Spray an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Mix 3/4 cup each of crushed vanilla wafers and gingerbread cookies with 1/4 c sugar and 1/4 c melted butter. Place in prepared pan and press lightly. Using the same cream cheese custard mixture as above, spread the mixture over the crumb base. Chop pears into 3/4" chunks and distribute over the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle liberally with either cinnamon and sugar mixture, with sugar and freshly grated nutmeg, or with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes or until the custard is set and the top is lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Refrigerate before serving. Again, you can drizzle the top with melted white chocolate or thin powdered sugar icing.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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