Rustic Cheese and Pear Tart

It’s that time of year…back to school. That means sales on pencils and notebooks, tax free shopping days and decorations with little school buses and apples on them. I never brought my teacher an apple, unless you count the one that had my loose tooth stuck in it! I was always more partial to pears.

I don’t know why pears aren’t as popular because they are absolutely delicious. Albert will sometimes cut one up with some cheese and wine for a tasty snack. And since pears and cheese pair so well -pun intended- I decided to make my own cheesy pear tart. Albert was a huge fan.

Last thing, I’ve tried it with homemade puff pastry and the frozen stuff and you’ll be happy to know that the pre-made dough works just as great.

Cheesy Pear Tart

This simple pear tart is the perfect fall snack. The sweetness of the juicy pears balances amazingly with the zing of salty cheese and sprinkles of rosemary. Using frozen puff pastry adds to the ease and quickness of this delicious recipe!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• baking sheet
• cutting board
• knife
• Rolling pin

Ingredients

  

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
• 2.5 pears cut into ¼ inch slices
• ½ lemon
• ⅓ cup fontina cheese roughly cut into small cubes
• fresh cracked pepper
• ⅓ cup fresh mozzarella roughly cut into small cubes
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 fresh rosemary sprigs 3 chopped, 1 for garnish

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and grease the baking sheet
• Roll out the puff pastry into a larger rectangle and place on the greased baking sheet
• Core and cut the pears into ¼ inch slices
• Squeeze the lemon so that the juice covers the pear slices to prevent browning
• Sprinkle the different cheeses evenly over the puff pastry, reserving a small amount to add after the pears
• Arrange the pears onto the pastry. I like to arrange them in two rows, facing the opposite direction from each other. It's an easy step to make the tart look fancy!
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese around the edges, taking care to fill any empty spaces
• Top the tart with the salt and pepper
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges are brown and the cheese is bubbling
• Remove the tart from the oven, and sprinkle the rosemary on top
• Allow tart to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving

Keyword 30 minutes, cheese, Pear Tart, Rustic