Free-Form Pear Tarts with Almond and Cinnamon

Ingredients

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (9-3/4-inch square), thawed overnight in the refrigerator

Flour for dusting

2 Tablespoons almond paste (from can or tube)

4 teaspoons sour cream

2 small firm-ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 12 wedges each.

Ice cream if desired

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Unroll or unfold the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Pinch any creases together and then smooth them out with your fingertips. Cut the pastry sheet into four equal squares and transfer them to the lined baking sheet.

Roll 1-1/2 teaspoons of almond paste in to a small ball, flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand, and put it the center of one puff pastry square. Drop 1 teaspoon of sour cream on top. Sprinkle about 1/2 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar over the sour cream. Arrange four pear wedges in the center of the puff pastry, two leaning away from the center one way and two leaning the other way. Sprinkle with another 1/2 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with the remaining three puff pastry squares and filling ingredients---you won't need all of the sliced pears.

Fold corners of the puff pastry over the pears until the tips are just touching, but not overlapping and press the dough against the pears. (The tarts won't look pretty now, but they'll be beautiful once they bake and puff up.) 

Bake until puffed and golden brown on the edges, 22-27 minutes. Let cool. Any juices that leak on to the baking sheet will harden to a candy-like consistency, so break-off these bits before serving.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you like.

Makes 4 servings

Source Fine Cooking recipe by Gale Gand

Printed from mybiscuitsareburning.blogspot.com