Pear season is upon us! Apples get a lot of love during the fall, and rightly so, but let’s not forget about pears. Pears are currently one of my daughter’s favorite foods so it looks like we’ll be keeping them a staple in our house for the next few months. Pears make a perfect dessert; growing up my dad made the most amazing pear pie. I prefer that pear pie over apple any day of the week! But since I know I just can’t replicate that incredible treat, I decided to make a different one with this pear mascarpone tart.
Since pears are a great addition to cheese boards, it only makes sense to pair them with a delicious cheese like mascarpone for a tart. Creamy mascarpone cheese is similar to cream cheese, and when whipped up with some cinnamon and vanilla make the perfect base for pears. Spread into a sugar cookie tart crust and topped with ripe pears and a drizzle of honey, this is a fantastic fall dessert.
If you’re new to making tarts, I definitely recommend a pan with a removable bottom like this one. I’ve had mine for a few years now and tarts are such an easy and delicious dessert. Tart crusts are WAY easier than pie crusts in my option, and they edges look pretty without you needing to do a fancy lattice or anything like that. Way easier all around! Don’t get me wrong, I love eating pies, but I just do not enjoy making them. I’m all about crisps, cobblers, and tarts.
Enjoy this pear mascarpone tart while you can! It’s a good one.
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2-3 tbsp. ice cold water
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 2 ripe pears, sliced
- 1 tbsp. honey
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter. Cut in using two forks or a pastry cutter until the butter is the size of peas or smaller. You can also use a food processor for this step.
- Add 2 tbsp. water and mix to combine. If needed to get the dough to come together, add the last tbsp. of water.
- Transfer dough to plastic wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roll dough out into a 9 inch circle and transfer to a tart pan. Press it into the edges. Poke the bottom a few times with a fork. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. The center of the dough may poof up a bit while baking, but it will deflate while it cools and you can press it down a little bit as well after baking.
- Allow to cool completely before filling. For the filling, place the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a large bowl with a hand mixer. Beat well until very smooth. Add vanilla and cinnamon and beat again.
- Spread the filling into the cooled tart shell, top with sliced pears, and drizzle with honey.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
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[…] love good tart recipe. They always look so impressive, but are so easy to make and have so many different varieties. […]