Here we go! Pie week is coming to an end, but I sort of don’t want to say goodbye! You all know how much I adore putting my rolling pin and pie crust recipe to use. How do you feel? What’s been your fave so far?
I saved one of the best recipes for the very last day. It’s a texture and flavor paradise, not to mention laughably easy which frees up your time for other desserts and dishes during the holiday season. And guess what? It’s Harry and David round 2, complete with ANOTHER giveaway. I received so much wonderful feedback about the first giveaway, so obviously a sequel had to happen. I secretly love how much you love fruit. ♥
So you know the deal: Harry and David hand-picked high-quality southern Oregon pears are a delicacy. They asked me to create a couple recipes this fall and I went with a cinnamon apple pear crisp to kick off the fun. Crisps are completely my weakness and you know what’s even better? They’re EASY. We love easy. Keeping this whole convenient and simple theme in mind, I decided to spotlight their pears in another completely approachable and delicious recipe: a pear pastry tart combining honey, sea salt, almonds, and… wait for it… goat cheese.
Not only do we all love fruit, we ALL love fruit and cheese. Btw I was tempted to make this with blue cheese, but was afraid you’d run for the hills. Who are my fellow blue cheese lovers?
So here’s the situation with this quick and easy honey pear tart. You’ll begin with puff pastry, which is a blessing in the whole time-saving scene. Helloooo caramel apple turnovers! It usually comes in 2 sheets, which you’ll roll out and combine into 1 sheet. Just keep using your rolling pin to mold them together. Fold over the edges, crimp the edges with a fork. Not too tricky, right?
Grab the fresh pears, slice ’em thin, mix with a little coarse sugar. That crunch of coarse sugar on the soft, sweet pears is utterly divine. (Also: should have added a sprinkle of cinnamon. Wouldn’t that be unreal with these flavors? Or maybe some savory herbs like rosemary or thyme? Let’s all try it.)
Brush the pastry with an egg wash, then sprinkle with your favorite goat cheese. Again, use blue cheese if you’re a diehard fan like yours truly!! Line the pears up on the puff pastry—just pack them in as many as you can. The more the better, just like we pack in as many apple slices as we can for apple pie. Top with sliced almonds and sea salt.
We’ll add the honey at the end. 🙂
How beautiful is this already? Wait until you taste it.
The honey will seep into the pears. So we literally have a bed of puff pastry, topped with goat cheese, lined with pears, and drizzled with honey. Kevin and I both agreed that this is one of the most delicious dishes to come out of the kitchen lately. And I love that it can totally double as a dessert and an appetizer. In fact, now that I type that, I’m 100% putting this on my Friendsgiving hors d’oeuvre menu. Quick & easy, great food, great flavor, great pears, done and done! (Oh, and a great pumpkin pie too, of course.)
More Pear Recipes
- Ginger Pear Galette
- Caramel Pear Pie
- Upside Down Pear Gingerbread Cake
- Maple Baked Pears
- Cranberry Pear Crumble Pie
And more pie/crisp/tart inspiration in my roundup of favorite Thanksgiving pie recipes!
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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Quick & Easy Honey Pear Tart
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Tart
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet and salty, super easy honey pear tart with goat cheese, honey, and toasty almonds.
Ingredients
- 1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 2 large pears, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons coarse sugar (or brown sugar!)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- sea salt for sprinkling
- honey for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line a 12×17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Unroll the pastry sheets on a floured work surface. Place the edge of one over the other and use a rolling pin to adhere them together. Roll the whole thing out into a 10×14-inch rectangle. Fold over the edges and crimp down with a fork. Crimping is much easier the colder the pastry is, so place into the refrigerator to chill if needed. Review my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial if you need extra help with this step.
- Brush the entire pastry, edges included, with egg wash. Top with goat cheese.
- Toss the pear slices and coarse sugar together. Line the pears on top of the pastry. Sprinkle with almonds and sea salt.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with honey before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Assemble the tart through step 4. Place in the refrigerator up to 1 full day, then bake and serve. So easy!
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12×17-inch Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack
- Have fun with this pear tart! You can switch up the cheese or maybe use chopped pistachios or walnuts instead of almonds. And/or add some cinnamon or savory herbs like rosemary or thyme.
Wow! Made this to the tee and it is amazing. Possibly the best thing I have baked yet! Thank you so much!
Very good,changed to parmesan used pecans and cinnamon and oatmeal..
Loved it!
How do you think mascarapone would work? I tried blue cheese and it would have been a great appetizer, but looking for something sweeter for dessert.
Hi Kristin, we haven’t tested this recipe with mascarpone, but it sounds delicious! If you try it, please let us know how it turns out.
Sally, just wondering about the goat cheese. Do you just plop globs over the dough, or do you try to spread it? Wish there was a photo showing this step.
Hi Sue! You just want a light sprinkling of crumbled goat cheese – you can see it on top of the tart of the photos above.
Easy and delicious! We’ve even swapped the pears for apples sometimes. Great simple recipe.
Could you use Caramel and Apples instead of honey and pears?
Hi Elena! Absolutely- you may also love this salted caramel apple galette recipe.
Can I use canned pears? Sounds delicious!
Hi Janet, fresh pears really are best here. We fear the canned pears will be too soft and the added sugars will compromise the taste. If you do try using canned, we’d recommend blotting them first and you might also want to reduce the sugar a bit. If you can, it would be best to get two fresh pears for best results!
Hi Sally,
Would there be any concerns with halving this recipe? I am baking for one, so the 10 x 14 tart is a bit big for me, but it looks so divine I’m dying to make it! I was thinking since the thickness of the puff pastry will be the same, it shouldn’t change the cooking time too much? Do you have any insights here? Thank you so much!
Hi Emily, we can’t see why not! Bake time should be about the same, but keep a close eye on it. Hope you enjoy this tart!
How long does it keep outside the fridge?
To maintain freshness, I recommend storing in the refrigerator. A few hours at room temperature before serving is OK.
Do you think this could be made without the goat cheese ? Was wondering on doing it without any cheese ? Thanks !
You can certainly try making it without the cheese- or you can sub the goat cheese for another type!
Do you have any tips for preparing this ahead of time? I would love to make it as a thanksgiving app, but the turkey will be taking over my oven! All I can think of is to cook it the night before and warm slices up in the toaster oven?
Hi Kaitlyn! That’s what I’ve done in the past. Bake it ahead, refrigerate it, then warm up the slices. Drizzle with honey and a sprinkle of goat cheese and sea salt before serving.
Love the simplicity and ease of this tart– delish and yummy. Love tarts and love making them, all different kinds, both sweet and savory
This is screaming for lavender honey! I can’t wait to try it and will be asking the cheese monger for a mild blue cheese.
SO delicious with lavender honey!! Enjoy 🙂
I have a pear tree in my front yard. It makes loads of pears every year. I can most of them and make pear butter with no spices just lemon bay leaves and red pepper corn in the pot when I cook them.remove bay leaf pepper corn befor you blend pears. Then put the back on to cook down. So good on toast s very mild butter.
Absolutely yummy! will definitely make it soon ♥
Made this for our Christmas Eve appetizer spread and everyone agreed it was one of the best things we’ve ever had at any family Christmas gathering! I tossed the pears with 1 t cinnamon and 1/4 t nutmeg as well as about 1/2 t each of chopped rosemary, sage, and thyme; also used walnuts instead of almonds. The extra pears were a treat themselves and we used them on our cheese board. Would definitely recommend trying that addition next time. 🙂