This Pear Tart Recipe is Perfect for Anyone holiday menuCaramelized, jewel-toned starscrimson pears adorned with a buttery, flaky crust and a garland of pastry leaf cutouts add unmistakable festive flair to any table. Pears get their shine from their butter base cinnamon sugar As the tart cooks, it begins to bubble. Meanwhile, an optional drizzle of dulce de leche—homemade or store-bought—makes each piece extra shiny and sweet.
Perfect for making ahead, this fruit tart can be baked a day ahead, and the steps can be broken down even further: Make the dough up to three days in advance, roll it into the pan the day before, and freeze the decorative cutouts until assembly. Each element comes together to create a tart that is as beautiful as it is delicious.
Tips for the Perfect Pear Tart
- Dulce de Leche Your Way: Homemade Dulce de LecheStarting from scratch – either by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk – is impressive, but a can of store-bought pre-made dulce de leche works perfectly. Making your own? Cans of condensed milk can be boiled 3 months in advance; Opened dulce de leche lasts for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
- Dough preparation: Make the spicy dough up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate tightly wrapped, or freeze for up to 3 months. Before using, let it thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Decorative Crust: Roll out the dough pieces, cut into shapes and refrigerate or freeze for an hour before placing on the tart. Freeze solid to maintain shape while cooking.
- Ancient Pear Pieces: Place the cut pears tightly into pieces, cut sides down, in the lemon juice. prevent browning Till assembly.
- What types of pears: Starkrimson pears have deep red skin and make this easy tart truly stunning, but if you can’t find them, look for red Anjou pears or red Comis pears. It is easiest to make a tart with slightly underripe pears, but very ripe pears will also be delicious. Bartlett and Bosque pears will also work, but they will not be as attractive.
- Pie Crust Decoration: For a decorative layer, roll out the dough pieces from Step 4 on a lightly floured surface to ⅛”-¼” thickness and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Generously flour the surface and pastry and cut into decorative shapes pie cutter Or small cookie cuttersBrush the sides of the tart shell with egg wash as desired. Brush the tops of the cutouts with more egg wash and freeze the pastry for 1 hour (if the cutouts are frozen solid they will hold their shape best during baking). Continue filling and baking as directed. If cutouts get too brown before tarts are done, cover individually with small pieces of foil.
- Final Touch: Dulce de leche, although highly recommended, is completely optional. If preferred, you can serve your pear tart with a scoop of caramel or vanilla ice cream, a spoonful of bourbon or rum-spiked. whipped creamor a drizzle crème anglaise,
