When I first saw this recipe, I thought it was a beautiful dessert. Then, I read the recipe and was shocked at how simple it sounded. I decided to try it out for myself, especially knowing how much Quinn likes pears. And, of course, how much I like cream cheese.
One little thing. The original recipe calls this a “torte.” A quick internet search told me that a torte is a cake made with very little flour. A tart, however, is a single layer pie with a sweet or savory filling. That’s more like it, so I am taking the liberty of renaming this recipe.
It did prove to be a pretty simple recipe. The only tedious part was arranging the pears, but it was actually fun to layer them because it made the tart so lovely. If I were to make it again, I would take a little different approach with the pears. I think sprinkling the pears with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar might get a bit more even distribution of seasoning. Tossing the spices with the pears was a bit tough because the sliced pears were so delicate.
The finished product is quite good. The texture is very light and smooth. The cream cheese filling itself is very light, almost custard-like. The almonds are the perfect complement to the tart. The crunch they add is just right. You should all be proud of me for going ahead with the almonds even though the recipe specifically suggested substituting pecans. It just seemed like almonds would be perfect. Of course, I mean no offense to my beloved pecan. I’m sure it will resurface here before too long.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 cups sliced peeled pears (about 4 medium pears)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 425°. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour, and mix well. Spread onto bottom and about an inch up the sides of a 9″ springform pan.
To make the filling:
Beat cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add egg and vanilla extract, and mix well. Spread over crust.
To make the topping:
Combine sugar and cinnamon. Put this mixture in a bowl with the pears, and toss. Arrange pears on top of cream cheese filling. Sprinkle with almonds.
Bake about 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen sides from pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Kraft.
September 27th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
I have a bunch of pears…I think I will be making this once I feel better.
September 28th, 2006 at 4:21 am
I think this is the perfect thing to christen my brand new tart tin – good thing I spotted those beautiful beurre bosc pears at my greengrocers on the weekend!
September 28th, 2006 at 5:06 am
Another great sounding recipe Jennifer! I love coming here!
September 28th, 2006 at 8:48 am
these look wonderful, I was just looking for an almond tart recipe and this looks one I could do!
September 28th, 2006 at 9:01 am
Peabody, I hope you feel better soon!
Ellie, I didn’t remember until after I made this that I have a tart pan. Probably a good sign that I have far too many baking pans.
Nicole, thank you so much for the compliment! I adore your blog!
Jen, I think you will not be disappointed by this recipe. We really liked it.
September 28th, 2006 at 9:22 am
I love all the pear recipes that are showing up lately, this one looks super!
September 28th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
nice! i love how thinly you sliced the pears.
September 28th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
yum! this looks delicious. the pear-almond combination is one of my favorites.
September 28th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
Jennifer,
What a beautiful looking tart! I love the presentation!
September 28th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
Do you think this recipe would work with tinned pears? Fresh pears here (in australia) aren’t very nice.
September 28th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
I think those would work, just be sure to drain them well. Canned pears are usually softer than fresh ones, so you might want to make thicker slices so they won’t disintegrate. Let me know how it works out!
September 29th, 2006 at 5:13 am
oh i like the look of this one!
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Well, Jennifer let me sample some of this latest creation this weekend. This is so good! It is especially good when heated a little bit. I’m glad you bake!
January 25th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Hi Jennifer, I really like this recipe. I was wandering what can I serve it with, and at what temperature sould the tart be served at. Thanks
January 26th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Hi, Frankie! This tart is such a nice, light dessert. I think it goes well after a heavy meal. I served it from the refrigerator, but I think you could set it out for a bit before serving it.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:41 am
I have made this dessert twice and my husband loves it! The first time we were supposed to bring it for a birthday party – but the dessert never made it there after we tried a piece. Also, I’ve tried it without almonds, but with almond extract in the filling and it was wonderful.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:46 am
I have made this many times, and each time I do I’m surprised by how elegant a dessert you get for relatively little effort. To punch it up a bit I top it off with a dollop of whipped cream flavoured with a touch of maple syrup.
February 1st, 2008 at 11:04 am
Hey, yours is purtier than the kraft pic!
February 4th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Just one look at that luscious tart is making me salivate! Guess this will be dessert this weekend!
February 4th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Pamela, I hope you enjoy it!