Savory Pear and Goat Cheese Tart (Puff Pastry)

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This savory pear tart features caramelized shallots, creamy goat cheese, and thin pear slices layered over flaky puff pastry, then topped with warm honey, pistachios, and fresh thyme. It's an elegant sweet-and-savory appetizer perfect for Fall or any time of year!

If You Love Pears, This is For You!

I make a lot of pear recipes in the fall, and most of them, of course, are sweet. My fresh pear cake, chocolate pear cake, and pear almond cake are popular desserts with both readers on my site and my family. But pears are just as good on the savory side, as anyone who has tried my pear and brie grilled cheese already knows. Enter this pear tart.

Pear and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Tart

This pear tart is sweet and savory at the same time: I add caramelized shallots, thin pear slices, thyme, and tangy goat cheese to a store-bought puff pastry sheet, then bake it for 30 minutes. Then I top it with crunchy pistachios and drizzle it with honey. You get tangy cheese, soft fruit, crunchy nuts, and flaky pastry all at once.

The Easiest Fancy Appetizer

The first time I served it, I cut it into small squares and set it out next to a cheese board, expecting it to be the quiet dish on the table. My cheese ball is usually the first appetizer to disappear at a party, but this pear tart beat it to it. Now I plan to make it through the Fall and maybe even for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Why You'll Love This Pear Puff Pastry Tart

• One sheet of pastry, no dough to make. 
• 45 minutes, start to finish. Fifteen minutes of prep, and most of the cook time is hands-off in the oven.
• It looks expensive, but it's not. Overlapping pear slices on a golden puffed border make a beautiful presentation that will wow your family and friends!
• Sweet, savory, tangy, and crunchy in one bite. Jammy shallots, tangy goat cheese, sweet pears, floral honey, and salty pistachios all land at once.
• It works as an appetizer, a light lunch, or a side. Cut it into 12 small squares for a party, or into 6 larger pieces and serve with a green salad for lunch.
• Make-ahead friendly. The shallot and goat cheese filling holds in the fridge for three days.
• Vegetarian and easy to make ahead.
• No pear peeling required. The pear skin stays on, giving you those pretty red or green edges.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This recipe has 3 components: a caramelized shallot and goat cheese filling, the puff pastry and pear layer, and a honey-pistachio garnish. I encourage you to read this section for lots of helpful info, but feel free to jump to the fully printable recipe card instead.

1) Ingredients for the Caramelized Shallot Filling

• Butter: Salted or unsalted; both work. I use unsalted, so I control the seasoning. Olive oil works in place of the butter.
• Shallots: You'll need 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced. Shallots are milder and sweeter than onions, which is why I like them here. One large yellow onion or two sweet Vidalia onions will also work, sliced thin. 
• Garlic: I used 5 cloves, minced. This sounds like a lot. It is not, because it cooks for less than a minute in butter and mellows out.
• Fresh thyme: 1 tablespoon of leaves. Fresh is much better here than dried. If you only have dried, use 1 teaspoon. Fresh rosemary (finely chopped, half the amount), fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme also pair beautifully with pears.
• Goat cheese: I used Plain chèvre in a log at room temperature. Cream cheese, ricotta, or whipped feta all work if you don't like goat cheese. A 50/50 mix of goat cheese and cream cheese is a nice middle ground for kids. Boursin also works and brings its own garlic and herbs. You can also use blue cheese, brie, mascarpone, and shredded cheddar as substitutes for goat cheese!

2) Ingredients for the Tart

• Puff pastry: I use one 9 x 13 inch sheet of all-butter puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator but still cold when it goes on the baking sheet. Phyllo is not a substitute here; it will not hold this much filling.
• Pears: I core 3 to 4 ripe but firm pears and slice them thin with the skin on. I prefer Bosc and Anjou because they hold their shape in the oven and the skin keeps the slices intact. Red Anjou gives you the prettiest edge. Bartletts are too soft and will turn to mush, so save those for eating. Apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith are the best swap, and fresh figs or thinly sliced Asian pear also work. Even pre-roasted grapes would be great!
• Egg wash: You'll need 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water. This is what gives the border its glossy, deep golden finish. Do not skip it (ever!).

3) Ingredients for the Garnish

• Honey: Warm ¼ cup honey and brush it over the pears as soon as the tart leaves the oven. Hot honey is excellent here if you want a little heat. You can swap out the honey for sprinkles of Demerara sugar or even maple syrup! Agave syrup works well, too. You can also use fig jam thinned with a splash of water. 
• Pistachios: I scatter ¼ cup of roughly chopped shelled pistachios over the top at the very end so they stay crisp. Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts are all good substitutes. If yours are raw rather than roasted, toast them in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes first.
• Thyme leaves, salt, and pepper: Add flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper right at the end. Fresh rosemary, sage, tarragon, and basil make excellent additions or alternatives to thyme.

How to Make Savory Pear Tart (Step-by-Step Photos)

This is a recipe overview. Scroll down to find the complete instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

• Caramelize the shallots: Melt the butter, add the sliced shallots and a pinch of salt, and cook slowly over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the garlic and thyme in the last minute, then cool completely.

• Mix the filling: Fold the cooled shallots into the room-temperature goat cheese. You want a chunky, spreadable paste.

• Prep the pastry: Roll the puff pastry to 9x13 inches on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Score a 1-inch border without cutting through, then prick the center all over with a fork.

• Spread and layer: Spread the goat cheese mixture inside the border, then shingle the pear slices over the top in overlapping rows.

• Egg wash and bake: Brush the border with egg wash. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 22 to 25 minutes, until the border is puffed and deeply golden.
• Finish while warm: Brush the pears with warmed honey, then scatter over pistachios, thyme, salt, and pepper. Slice into squares and serve.

Variations

• Free-form galette: Instead of a defined border, fill your puff pastry after docking it with a fork, then fold the edges over slightly. Don't forget to brush with egg wash!
• Make individual tarts. Cut the pastry into 6 rectangles, score a smaller border on each, and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Nice for a plated first course.
• Add protein. Add some crispy prosciutto, pancetta, or even bacon on top before serving! 
• Swap the cheese. Blue cheese or Gorgonzola crumbled over the goat cheese layer takes this in a bolder direction. Brie, sliced thin, melts into something very rich.
• Make it spicy. Use hot honey, or add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the thyme.
• Go apple. Thin-sliced Honeycrisp or Granny Smith works exactly the same way.

Serving Ideas

• As an appetizer: Cut pear tart into small squares and set it out with a charcuterie board or a fruit platter. Serve it as the opening course alongside my Mediterranean savory cheese log or my make-ahead cheese ball for an appetizer spread that requires almost no last-minute work.
• With soup: Pair it with soup for an easy lunch. My Hungarian mushroom soup and my creamy butternut squash and sausage soup with orzo are both good matches for the honey and thyme.
• With a salad: Serve pear tart alongside my apple spinach salad or a holiday salad for a light lunch. My pear salad with walnuts and honey-mustard dressing doubles down on the pears.
• With bread: If you're feeding a bigger group, add garlic rolls or slices of seeded rye bread to round out the table. Or, slice it thin and serve with my Italian stromboli.
• For the holidays: This pear puff pastry tart makes a great Thanksgiving or Christmas starter alongside something warm and gooey, like my strawberry baked brie or baked brie with apples. Add it to a holiday table alongside baked brie with cranberries, pecans, and pomegranate and stuffed portobello mushrooms.

FAQs

1. Do I have to peel the pears? No, and I recommend that you don't. The skin keeps the thin slices from falling apart as they bake, and the color looks beautiful against the cheese. Just wash and dry the pears well before slicing.
2. Why do I need to prick the center of the pastry? Docking the center with a fork lets steam escape so the middle stays flat while the scored border rises up around it. If you skip it, the whole sheet puffs and your filling slides off.
3. My pears released a lot of liquid. What happened? Overripe pears are usually the cause. Look for pears that give slightly at the neck but are still firm through the body. If your pears are very juicy, pat the slices dry with a paper towel before arranging them.
4. Can I use crescent roll dough instead of puff pastry? You can, and it will taste good, but you won't get the flaky layers or the dramatic border. If you go this route, press the seams together well and bake at 375°F (190°C) instead.
5. How far ahead can I bake it? I'd bake it no more than 2 hours before serving and leave it at room temperature. Past that, the crust starts to soften under the filling.
6. How do I keep the puff pastry from getting soggy? Three things. Cool the shallots completely before mixing them with the cheese, slice the pears thin and pat them dry if they are very juicy, and prick the center of the pastry all over with a fork so steam escapes. Baking on the lower-middle rack also helps the bottom set.
7. Why did my pastry not puff up? Almost always because it got too warm before it went in the oven. Puff pastry rises from cold butter hitting hot air. If the pastry sat on the counter while you sliced pears, chill the assembled tart for 10 minutes before baking. The other common cause is scoring the border all the way through, which lets the layers separate instead of lifting.

More Puff Pastry Recipes

• Baked Brie in Puff Pastry
• Puff Pastry Egg Tarts
• Chicken and Spinach in Puff Pastry

More Pear Recipes

• Pear Salad with Walnuts and Honey-Mustard Dressing
• Pear Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecans
• Pear and Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Pear Almond Cake