Caramelized Pear and Blue Cheese Tarts

Last week I shared My Mom's Cheese Ball Recipe, and it got me thinking that it would probably be a good idea to share some other holiday or Christmas hors d'oeuvre recipes. So, for the next few Fridays until Christmas, I am going to do exactly that. This week I will share my recipe for Caramelized Pear and Blue Cheese Tarts. Don't let the name scare you. These are not complicated to make at all. I promise. I feature an item very similar to this on my hors d'oeuvres menu, and it is always popular, so I'm excited to share it with you. Obviously, most of us won't be getting together in big groups this Christmas, so I've cut back all the recipes in this mini-series to suit two to four people, which should be ideal. Let's get to it!

Tart Shells

When it comes to entertaining during the holidays, premade tart shells, puff pastry, and phyllo dough are your best friends. You can do so much with those three items as the base. I've never seen gluten-free puff pastry or phyllo here, but I did manage to get a hold of some gluten-free tart shells. I found them at Sobeys if anyone is looking for them.

To prepare the tart shells, I first defrosted them then poked them, or docked them, which is the technical term, with a fork and baked them at 375°f for fourteen minutes. The cooking time and temperature may vary depending on the tart shells you use, so always make sure to read the package's instructions.

Caramelizing the pears

While the tart shells are baking get to work on the caramelized pears. Peel, core, and dice (1 cm x 1 cm) three bosc pears. Set them aside.

Additional Ingredients

Next up, peel and mince two shallots. You want about half a cup of minced shallot in total. If you don't have or don't want to buy shallots, you can use an equal amount of yellow onion. Make sure to cut them as small as you can. Also, chop about one teaspoon of fresh thyme. You can use dried thyme for this, but fresh is much better. If you use dried thyme, use half as much and add it into the pan with shallots right in the beginning. You will need one tablespoon of cider vinegar, two tablespoons of sugar, two tablespoons of hot water, and a pinch of salt, along with the shallots and thyme.

Cooking the pears

Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Put one tablespoon of butter in the pan and wait for it to melt and start to foam. Add the shallots and cook for two to three minutes or until they soften. If you are using dried thyme, add that in as well. Once the shallots have softened, add in the diced pears and cook for another three minutes or until they start to soften. Add in the sugar, vinegar, water, salt, and fresh thyme if you are using it. Cook the mixture, stirring, until all the liquid has evaporated. Take the pan off the heat.

Making the Pear and Blue Cheese Tarts

Assemble the pear and blue cheese tarts by spooning the pear mixture into the cooked tart shells. Top each tart with a few crumbled blue cheese pieces. Serve with dry white wine, and enjoy. For lunch, you can also serve two of these tarts with a small green salad.

Conclusion

These Caramelized Pear and Blue Cheese Tarts are super simple, delicious and they look great. All the components can be prepared ahead and then assembled at the last minute, or you can make them all at once, as I did. Any guest, husband or wife, will be thrilled that you made these for them.

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