Cheese and Pear Tart

This Cheese and Pear Tart recipe is super delicious. Made with Gorgonzola cheese, Bosc pear, fresh thyme and drizzled with honey and pistachios.

It is almost December and the craving for sweet and savory festive tarts, galette and pies is at its peek. As the weather gets colder, we often tend to consume more carbs and sugar. It is the festive season after all, and I think we all get a pass to enjoy a bit of both.

This salty–sweet Cheese and Pear Tart is made with ready–made puff pastry. There are all sorts of puff pastry in the market, but I use a particular Australian brand that has never failed me.

For the filling, I combine Gorgonzola and Mascarpone cheeses. You can use any type of blue cheese you like. Stilton or Roquefort cheese works too.

I like the contrast in flavors in this tart. The saltiness and sharpness of blue cheese with the sweetness of pears work really well. I also add roasted pistachios for a bit of crunch and thyme for freshness. Then, I drizzle the whole tart with honey.

Ingredients needed:

This recipe calls for a few ingredients: puff pastry, cheese, pear, thyme, honey and pistachios.

You will also need some flour for dusting, 2 tablespoons of melted butter to coat the pastry and 1 beaten egg.

I use one 9×9″ pre–rolled sheet of pastry and a combination of Gorgonzola cheese and Mascarpone.

For the pears, use any kind you like. However, I find that Bosc pears have a firm texture and super sweet taste that works really well with the saltiness of the cheeses I am using.

how to make cheese and pear tart

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line a 10×15″ (25.4 x 38 cm) baking sheet with a parchment paper.

Peel the pears and slice them in half through the stem and remove the core. Cut lengthwise into slices. Set aside.

Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the pastry into a rectangle slightly smaller than your baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet and brush with melted butter.

Combine the Gorgonzola and Mascarpone in a small bowl. Spread onto the pastry, leaving half an inch of a border around the edge.

Arrange the sliced pears over the cheese mixture and then brush the border with the egg. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and scatter over some pistachios and thyme. Return to oven for another 5 minutes or until the crust is golden. Remove from oven, drizzle over the honey and serve warm.