Spiced Pear Puff Pastry Tarts (Printable version)

Buttery pastry with tender spiced pears and caramel notes, baked until golden and crisp.

# What you need:

→ Fruit

01 - 3 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
02 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice

→ Spices & Sugar

03 - 3 tablespoons brown sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
07 - Pinch of salt

→ Pastry & Extras

08 - 1 sheet (about 8 oz) frozen puff pastry, thawed
09 - 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
10 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
11 - 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
12 - Powdered sugar for dusting

# How To:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, toss the sliced pears with lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set aside to macerate for 10 minutes.
03 - Unroll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 6 equal rectangles or circles. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
04 - Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg.
05 - Drain excess liquid from the pears and arrange the slices neatly on the pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
06 - Brush pears with melted butter. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
07 - Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
08 - Let cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The puff pastry does all the heavy lifting, so you look like a pastry pro with minimal effort
  • These tarts strike that perfect balance between impressive for guests and easy enough for a Tuesday night
  • The spiced pears caramelize in the oven creating natural syrup pockets that make every bite different
02 -
  • Draining the pears before arranging them prevents soggy bottoms, which is the difference between restaurant-quality tarts and sad ones
  • Puff pastry needs to stay cold until it hits the oven, work quickly and don't let it hang out on the counter too long
  • The sugar will bubble and spread in the oven, that parchment paper is doing serious heavy lifting
03 -
  • Use a mandoline if you want paper-thin, uniform pear slices that look professionally arranged
  • Rotate the baking sheet halfway through cooking if your oven has hot spots
  • The tarts are best the day they're made but the pastry will stay decently crisp overnight if stored uncovered

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