Pear tartlets

January 6, 2009 (Last Updated: January 11, 2019)
Pear tartlets recipe

 

Pear tartlets

Serves: 6
Cooking Time: 10 mins + extra for freezing

Ingredients

  • 6 small pears
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 220g castor sugar
  • 500ml (2 cups) water
  • 15ml (1 tbsp) vanilla extract
  • 2 x 400g rolls ready-made puff pastry
  • 6 slices marzipan
  • 4 pieces of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
  • 500ml (2 cups) syrup from the ginger
  • 200g mascarpone
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 650g castor sugar
  • icing sugar, to dust

Instructions

1

Peel the pears and place them in a bowl. Cover them with water, add the lemon juice and set aside until needed.

2

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

3

Place the castor sugar, water and vanilla extract in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears and poach for 10 – 15 minutes.

4

Halve the pears lengthwise and remove the cores, leaving the stems intact. Cut into slices almost to the top so that you can gently fan out the pear halves.

5

Cut the pastry into 6 circles big enough to fit the pears and lay them on the baking trays. Place a slice of marzipan in the centre of each circle.

6

Mix the ginger and syrup into the mascarpone and spread 30ml (1 tbsp) of the mixture over each marzipan slice.

7

Lightly score the pastry around the edges. Place the pears on the marzipan, brush the edges with the egg and bake until golden, about 20 – 25 minutes.

8

Sprinkle the pears with the castor sugar. Preheat the grill and grill the tartlets to caramelise the top (alternatively, use a blowtorch).

9

Dust with icing sugar and serve.Sue Greig gives cooking lessons at Miele in Bryanston, Johannesburg. For more information contact her on 083 616 0136.

Notes

To drink: Lynx Blanc de Noir’s dominant merlot will complement the sweetness of this dessert.

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