Did you receive fresh pears as a gift this year and wondering what to do with all those pears? A small-batch and easy puff pastry pear tartlet recipe for two can be whipped up in a jiffy. Divine cream cheese filling topped with fresh Harry & David Pears is the perfect little indulgence.
An easy and elegant dessert without the fuss.
Ingredients Notes
Puff Pastry - premade and frozen puff pastry from Pepperidge Farms makes this recipe extra easy. You will only need half of a sheet for the two tart pans. Making these pear tartlets with puff pastry is great way to serve an easy and elegant dessert.
Pears - make sure to use a fully ripe pear. One regular size is enough for these two tarts. My Harry and David pears are huge so I only needed half . The unused pear can be refrigerated and put in a salad or freeze for later use in another tart.
If you don't have fresh, no worries, you can used canned, just rinse them first.
Cream Cheese - You can use a full-fat, reduced-fat, or a Neufchâtel cheese. I've made quit a few cream cheese fillings and cheesecakes with Neufchatel without any baking issues or taste problems.
Sugar - this is your basic white granulated sugar.
Egg - small batch recipes sometime only need a partial egg, so for something like the cream cheese filling, I use the white only and the yolk is refrigerated for the morning breakfast.
Vanilla Extract - Use a pure vanilla extract or a vanilla paste.
Cinnamon Sugar - I always have a shaker ready for Cinnamon toast and just sprinkle on a bit before baking. The ratios is 1:1 for the cinnamon and the sugar.
Recipe FAQ's
The main difference is the fat content. Cream Cheese must contain at least 33% milkfat and not more than 55% moisture. Neufchatel has roughly 23% milk fat and slightly higher moisture content.
Flavor-wise, no real difference to speak of except for Neufchatel has a slightly less rich flavor. Neufchatel and Cream Cheese are both slightly tangy, and spreadable cheeses and both work great for baking this delightful pear tart. Unless you are a cream cheese connoisseur you can’t tell any difference in the taste.
Tools Used
- 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms
- Mini whisk
- Small Bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
Visit A Weekend Cooks Small Kitchen Store for great recommendations on the best products to use when cooking in your small kitchen and whipping up small-batch treats.
Recipe Instructions
One of the things I love about this tartlet recipe is that it's strictly manual, no mixer or noise to worry about so I can easily make this at midnight! Sometimes I really want to cook late at night 🙂 Also, the filling mixes up in my small farmhouse cereal bowl
- First defrost the puff pastry per package instructions.
- Next, lightly coat the tart pans with cooking spray then press the puff pastry lightly to form to the tart pans. Blind bake the crust per package instructions.
- With a fork poke a few holes in the bottom of the pastry. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes, until it's golden brown.
- While the pastry is baking mix together the filling ingredients. When making two tarts this farmhouse cereal bowl and my small whisk is a perfect size. If the cream cheese is room temperature the blending is easy.
- When the blind-baked puff pastry comes out of the oven it will be all puffed up. Take a fork and poke at it a little bit to deflate.
Next, divide the filling evenly between the two tart pans. Top with sliced pears and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes.
This puff pastry is also great with my lemon meringue tart.
Visit the web story for my Pear Tart recipe.
Pear Cream Cheese Tart
An elegant and easy dessert with creamy cream cheese filling and a delicate flaky crust.
Ingredients
- ½ sheet puff pastry
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 egg white
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry per the package instructions.
- Lightly coat two individual tart pans with cooking spray like BakeKlene.
- Roll out the pastry and press into the tat pans. Place the tart pans on a baking sheet and Blind Bake the puff pastry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes. The pastry will be puffed and golden.
- Remove pastry from the oven. Use a fork and push down the pastry to create space for the filling.
- In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, sugar, egg white, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Divide the filling evenly between the two tart pans.
- Top with the sliced pears and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Place the tart pans on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 135mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g
The nutritional information provided here are estimates and are not calculated by a registered dietitian.
If you enjoyed my pear tartlet recipe you might also like my lemon tartlets or a delicious Strawberry Custard tart with my biscotti crust.
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