Warm Pear and Blue Cheese Tart Recipe

Eat This Book | Clarkson Potter, 2005

When you bite into a pear, you really know what time of year it is.

I use three different varieties of pears, with different shapes and colors, for this tart recipe. It tastes delicious in the same way that peanut brittle tastes delicious. The pear and the honey are sweet, and the blue cheese is salty.–Tyler Florence

LC Sweetly Salty Sipping Note

Despite the slight savory note from the blue cheese, this tart sits squarely on the sweet side of things. Not to be confused with a cheese course prior to a meal, it’s lovely as a last course afterwards–preferably alongside a generous pour of tawny port.

Hands-On Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Serves 6 to 8

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Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1/2 pound blanched almonds
1/4 cup sugar
4 pears, unpeeled, stemmed and thinly sliced
Honey for drizzling
2 to 4 ounces blue cheese
1 egg white, beaten with a small drizzle of water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
2. Turn a baking sheet upside down. Cut the sheet of puff pastry in half lengthwise to create two rectangles. Place one of the pastry rectangles on the overturned baking sheet. Save the other rectangle for another use (or a second tart). Use a pairing knife to score a line around the perimeter of the rectangle about 1 inch from the edge to make a border. Use a fork to poke holes inside the border so that the dough will remain flat as it cooks while the border will puff to create a lip for the tart.
3. Combine the almonds, sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon of water in a food processor and grind to a paste. Spread the paste over just the portion of the puff pastry inside the border. Arrange the pear slices over the almond paste. Drizzle with the honey and crumble the blue cheese over the top.
4. Lightly brush the border with the egg and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Grilled Cheese and Pear Sandwich with Red Onions and Rosemary from Two Peas and Their Pod
Pear and Almond Tart from David Lebovitz
Pear and Goat Cheese Tart from Leite's Culinaria
Gorgonzola Dolce with Roasted Pears and Spiced Walnuts from Leite's Culinaria