Sometimes my MIL gives me boxes of produce. She likes to buy them from the Amish community here in MO. And then, I’m looking at how to use up crazy amounts of produce before it goes bad. This often results in 8-hour days in the kitchen.

This past weekend, along with boxes of peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant, she passed along a whole box of pears. I enjoy pears. But not enough to eat a whole box worth. Then I got to thinking. I like to make mini apple hand pies this time of year. Why not try to make a puff pastry pear-filled delight? So here we are.

This recipe does include the caramel recipe I have on here: The Secret to Decadent Caramel Recipe . You don’t have to use this specific caramel. Any will do. But after thinking on it, I think the vanilla and caramel elevate this dessert to a level that is divine.

Tips:

• Don’t add too much honey or caramel. If you do, it will get runny on the baking sheet. Which is still okay and will still taste delicious. But easier to manage if you only add 1/4 teaspoon max of caramel and 1/2 teaspoon of honey per tart.
• When folding your puff pastry, do so like you’re folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope.
• When placing the honey, pears, and puff pastry onto the parchment paper, make sure to push down on the edges. This way, everything is more likely to stay in place. Things will be less likely to leak through as well.

Caramel Pear Puff Pastry

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Resting Time 43 minutes mins

Servings: 10 tarts

Course: Baking, Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Puff Pastry Dough

• 2 cups Flour
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup Ice Water
• 8 oz Unsalted Butter frozen

Pear Filling

• 2-3 Pears Sliced thinly
• 6 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
• 2 1/2 tsp Caramel
• Eggwash to brush puff pastry
• Powdered Sugar For dusting

Method

 

Dough Prep

1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
2. Shred the butter into the bowl and mix.
3. Add ice water 1/4 cup at a time and mix. Mix it with a spoon, then later use your hands to mix and slightly knead the dough.
4. Roll the dough into a ball. Cover and place it into the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
5. Place the dough onto a well-floured surface. Roll it out into a rectangle.
6. Fold the dough like a piece of paper before putting it into an envelope. Then roll it out again.
7. Once again, fold the dough with the envelope fold.
8. Roll it out again and fold it another time. This time, place it into the fridge for 15 minutes.
9. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Then cover your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Filling

1. Mix your honey and vanilla paste in a small bowl.
2. Prep your egg wash.

Construction

1. Roll out your dough one last time into a rectangle. You want it to be about 1/2 a cm to 1 cm thick.
2. Cut into pieces that are approximately 6 inches by 8 inches.
3. Drizzle your honey vanilla mixture into each space.
4. Place 3 slices of pears into each space over the honey.
5. Then, add your caramel on top of the pears.
6. Cover each space with your puff pastry dough. Press down all around the ends.
7. Brush your egg wash onto each puff pastry.
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
9. Flip them over using a spatula onto a cooling rack and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!