Makes 4 individual tarts
Ingredients
- 250 g Puff Pastry dough OR
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in the fridge
- 1 egg whisked with 2 Tbsp water, for brushing
- 2 ripe Bartlett pears
- 4 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp whipping cream
- pinch coarse sea salt or fleur de sel
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry dough into a 12-inch square, about ¼ inch thick. Trim the edges and then cut the puff into 4 squares and place them onto the prepared baking tray. Using a paring knife, cut an “L” mark into 2 opposing corners, following the line of those corners, but a ½-inch in. Brush the surface of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Lift the cut corners of the pastry, cross them over each other (one over, one under) and lay them flat (now on opposite sides). Brush the tops of the pastry with the eggwash and prick the centre of the tart shell with a fork. Chill the pastry while preparing the filling.
- Peel the pears, slice in half and core. Slice each pear half into ¼-inch slices and arrange them in the centre of each tart shell. Sprinkle the pears with brown sugar, then drizzle a tablespoon of cream over each pear. Sprinkle the tarts with a little sea salt and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pears are tender and the pastry is a rich golden brown.
The tarts can be served warm or at room temperature.