I have a quick and easy dessert for you: Pear Gorgonzola Tart.
On Friday my friend Katie and I had a going away party.
PAUSE.
Did I mention I’m moving to Denver with one of my best friends? Because I am. On Saturday. I’m a little stressed about packing and saying goodbye to too many amazing people. I’m also overwhelmed with excitement. It’s weird. I don’t know what to feel, but at this point I don’t have enough time to think about feeling anything other than stress and excitement. Plus, I’m bad with feelings and being emotional, so….
Ignoring.
Then there is the fact that I need to sell my condo (here’s the listing!!) and find a job. I’m sure that will all work out though?
UNPAUSE.
I originally made this tart to pair with a bottle of sauternes and a couple of girlfriends pre-party, but the plan didn’t go as planned. Not a problem. This was gobbled up along with a variety of other tasty treats at the party -> watermelon salsa, mint spinach dip, chicken enchilada dip, ricotta arugula prosciutto bruschetta. Obviously, Katie knows how to put together a spread.
Then there was wine, beer, cocktails, and a room full of some of my favorite people. Magical.
Ok, but this tart. It’s easy! Seriously, so super simple. All you need to do is put fruit and cheese on a puff pastry and place it in the oven.
I mean, there are more steps (see below), but that is the basic idea.
There is something about the combination of cheese and fruit that screams politely exclaims with a loud voice, sophistication. Don’t you think?
Look:
So fancy.
As you can see from the picture I used both green and red pears. I cut up four (two red, two green), but probably only used the equivalent of 3. I ate the leftover slices while the tart was baking in the oven.
You could use all the same type of pears and/or only cut up three, but then what would you snack on while this is baking??
The tart was hanging out for a few hours before it got to the party and it still tasted good; however, fresh out of the oven is best. Just give it a few minutes, because: hot.
And be careful, those pear juices can leak.
My original plan was to use Roquefort cheese, but I couldn’t find it at the grocery store and the regular cheese lady wasn’t there to help me. Apparently cheese isn’t a hot selling item at 7:45am on a Friday. Go figure.
It’s ok though, because the Gorgonzola tasted wonderful. I think blue cheese would be good too and I strongly recommend giving Roquefort a try. You could even go all out and do a little bit of each, but that may be excessive.
Grab a bottle of sauternes and share this quick, easy, delicious dessert with some people that you love. While you do that, I’m going to go pack some more boxes.
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 3-4 pears
- Egg wash (1 egg + 1 teaspoon water beaten)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 ounces gorgonzola, crumbled
- Set the frozen puff pastry out in room temperature for 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Slice the pears.
- Place the puff pastry sheet on the baking pan and roll out into a rectangle.
- Using a paring knife draw a rectangle about 1-inch in from the edge. Be careful not to cut all the way through the pastry, just about half-way. It should look like a picture frame. Then use a fork to score the inside of the rectangle.
- Brush the egg wash on the entire puff pastry then sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar.
- Line the sliced pears on the inside rectangle of the puff pastry, flat side on the pastry, curved side up. I did mine in two rows alternating between green and red slices.
- Drizzle with honey then sprinkle on the Gorgonzola.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are nicely browned.
- Let cool slightly, then cut and serve. It’s best when served immediately.