Are you one of those people who throws fruit in the garbage when it starts to over ripen? You know; bruises easily, starts turning black and out of nowhere a swarm of tiny fruit flies have moved in. If you are and I’m not judging, this recipe is the perfect substitute for your trash bin when you have over ripe pears.
When a pear reaches the perfect sweetness, it has actually begun to decompose; making it less than pristine to look at. However, quickly sliced, fanned and placed on top of an eagerly awaiting square of buttery puff pastry and you have a perfect autumn dessert. No need to add any additional sugar to the juicy, sumptuous pear. It’s already sweet enough. Once the galettes or tarts are baked, add a flourish of melted apple jelly laced with orange liquor and a sprinkling of crumbled cheddar. I guarantee you, the once trash-bound, icky looking pear will rise to rule the dessert scene in your kitchen this fall!
APPLE GLAZED PEAR AND CHEDDAR TARTS
preheat oven 400*F
1 sheet of commercial puff pastry, 9×11
1 ripe Bartlett pear, cored and cut into 16 slices
2 oz goat cheese cheddar, crumbled – use your favourite white cheese
3 apple glaze* recipe follows
THE STEPS:
- Place the puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet – I use the parchment that the pastry comes wrapped in
- Divide the pastry into 4 equal squares.
- Using the tines of a fork, prick the surface of the pastry without pushing through to the bottom, leaving 1/2 inch around the entire square to act as a frame
- Fan the pear slices on the puff pastry squares, slightly over lapping.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until crust is well browned.
- As soon as you take the tarts out of the oven, brush them with the apple glaze.
- Sprinkle with the crumbled cheddar.
- Serve immediately or place the tarts back in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
APPLE GLAZE
3 tablespoons apple jelly
2 teaspoons orange flavoured liqueur
THE STEPS:
- While the tarts are baking, place the apple jelly in a small microwave-safe bowl
- Add liqueur and microwave on high for 10 seconds
- Stir to combine.
THE LOVE: There is no additional sugar added to these tarts so it’s important to use the ripest pears possible. I photographed my galettes just before taking them off to a dinner party. Before serving, I popped them back in a 400*F oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheddar. They’re good either way…
Thanks for reading and sharing.
