Pear Tart – An Easy and Elegant Dessert for Late Summer or Any Time

One of the many many things I love about my wonderful husband is his prowess in the kitchen – specifically that he makes this fabulous pear tart every summer!

Overflowing Pears!

His late summer pear tart tradition started several years ago. The little pear tree we have at the edge of our front yard, gave us baskets full of pears! (We got this basket below plus most of another one this year!)

We ate and gave away as many as we possibly could, and still had a whole basket left, so we tried to think of what all things we could make with pears!

A tart popped into my husband’s head, an idea that I very strongly encouraged!

Creating the Pear Tart Recipe

It was a long time ago that he came up with this recipe. But I remember that I got to sample several versions before he settled on the now-traditional favorite. He started with the crust.

We have a good friend who makes wonderful desserts, and my husband used that friend’s crust recipe as a starting place. Because it goes up the sides, the ratio of crust to filling is higher than a flat-crust tart. And it’s just right.

This crust is not quite like a cookie, not quite like a pastry, not at all like a pie crust – I’ve actually never tasted anything quite like it.

I’m not sure how he came up with the filling and topping parts of the recipe. But I think he added the lemon for a little extra tang, and to keep the pears from turning brown.

He has lots of little tips and tricks, and I’ve included them in the actual recipe below.

The Amazing Thing About the Pear Tart

The really amazing thing about this pear tart is not only that it’s wonderfully delicious – especially with fresh ripe pears – but that you can taste each separate flavor. There’s not a lot of sugary sweetness to overpower things, so each individual ingredient “says its name,” as someone once described it.

Not Too Sweet

And that’s the first thing anybody ever says after their first bite: “MMMMMmmmmmmmmmm – the pears!” The next thing is “It’s not too sweet!” in a surprised voice.

I think that non-sweetness is really the thing that makes this pear tart so wonderful. Especially after you’ve had a big summer dinner, the freshness and lightness of this tart is just perfect. Even if you serve it in the middle of winter, you get a little blast of summer!

And while we’re talking about pears, here’s another post you might enjoy, using pears in a completely different, non-edible, way!

You and Your Guests Will Love It!

So that’s our pear tart! Give this one a try for yourself and your guests! It’s a beautiful and surprising little dessert, and so easy to make. Pears are available all year around, and you probably have all the other ingredients handy in your kitchen right now!

Let me know what you think, and what your guests’ first two sentences were after trying it!

Barbara’s Boutique Recommendations – Shop the Post

Click on the pictures below for links to the pieces I mentioned in this post. If something’s not available, I chose a similar replacement.

This post includes affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If you click on a link and end up buying anything from that site within 24 hours, I get a small commission with no extra cost to you. It’s a Win-Win, and helps cover the cost of publishing Mantel and Table. (You can read the whole disclosure policy here.) Thanks so much for shopping with me!

And remember, a portion of anything you buy from MANTELandTABLE.com goes to Habitat for Humanity and Proud Ground. With our purchases, we get to help people build homes for their own mantels and tables!

Pear Tart – An Easy and Elegant Dessert for Late Summer or Any Time

Recipe by MANTELandTABLE.comCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

This delicious, easy, and elegant dessert is perfect for late summer or any time! Fresh, sophisticated, and not too sweet, your guests will ask for seconds and hope that you make it again next time!

Ingredients

• Crust

• 1 Cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 Cup butter, softened and cut into marble-sized pieces

• 1 Egg

• 2 Tablespoons sugar

• Filling

• 8 Oz cream cheese

• 1 Egg

• 1 Tablespoon sugar

• Topping

• 3-4 Medium-sized pears

• 1 Teaspoon sugar

• 1 Teaspoon water

• 1/2 Lemon

• Cinnamon for sprinkling

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Crust
• Combine flour and sugar in large bowl.
• Add butter pieces and work with fingers till butter is incorporated but still a bit lumpy.
• Add the egg and mix in completely. Mixture will be sticky and still have lumps in it.
• Press the mixture into a 9 inch pie or tart pan, working it up the sides.
• Filling
• Mix cream cheese, egg, and sugar with a hand mixer until combined. Don’t beat too much – it should still be a bit lumpy, not fluffy.
• Spoon about 2/3 – 3/4 of the filling into crust. (This amount seems to be the best proportion, but add more if you particularly like filling or you have a whole lot of pears.) Store the remainder for another time.
• Topping
• Leaving the skins on, cut the pears into thin slices.
• Lay the slices out on top of the filling, starting with the outside of the tart and working in. (It looks prettiest if you put the pointy ends facing in.)
• Mix the sugar and water in a small bowl, then squeeze the 1/2 lemon into it and mix thoroughly.
• Brush the lemon sugar water gently onto the pears.
• Sprinkle cinnamon on the top.
• Bake
• Bake your pear tart on middle rack for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Check early and often – oven temps vary widely.
• Turn tart half way through baking if your oven is at all uneven.
• Serve
• The pear tart is really good warm, but even more delicious when the cheese sets up and the flavors have time to meld. If your guests will let you, wait to serve your pear tart until it’s cooled.

Pin the Pear Tart Recipe for Later

This Post Shared With

• Metamorphosis Monday 09.16.24 – Hosted by Between Naps on the Porch