puff pastry pear tart recipe for two

A small-batch and easy puff pastry pear tart 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.

Ingredients

Puff Pastry - pre-made 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. using puff pastry for the pear tart makes this a flaky 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.

Whats the difference between Neufchatel and Cream Cheese?

The main difference between 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. Unless you are a cream cheese connoisseur you can’t tell any difference in the taste. 

Instructions

One of the things I love about this recipe is that it's strictly manual, no mixer or noise 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.

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