Pears are a great seasonal fruit that often get overlooked during this pumpkin and apple-worshipping time of year. But they carry warm, fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar just as well and caramelize perfectly while baking.

The dough for this tart is simple, with only five ingredients and a splash of cold water. It comes together in less than 20 minutes because it doesn’t require any kneading or extensive mixing. Overworking the dough will begin to soften and melt the butter, resulting in a dense crust. The butter should remain in small, pea-size pieces throughout the entire process. So you can literally do the bare minimum with this tart dough and it will come out of the oven buttery and flaky. Just don’t let the mouth-watering smell overtake you and make sure to let the tart rest before serving, as the cream cheese filling will need time to set. If you’d like to start prepping your Thanksgiving dessert ahead of time, the dough can be made up to two days in advance if kept chilled in the fridge.

Brown Sugar Pear Tart

Yield: 1 10” tart

Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes plus 1 hour for chilling and 1 hour for cooling

Ingredients

Tart Dough

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 6 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup cold water

Cream Cheese Filling

• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 pears
• ½ cup brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling

Preparation

Tart Dough

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and use a pastry cutter (or two knives) to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. When the butter is fully incorporated, the mixture should be crumbly and coarse. The remaining chunks of butter should be about the size of a small pea.

Step 2

Add the egg and the water and mix with a fork until the dough begins to come together. Using your hands, gently form the dough into a ball.

Step 3

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and form the dough into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour, until the dough feels firm.

Cream Cheese Filling

Step 1

Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix together with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are incorporated into the cream cheese.

Step 2

Chop the pears into slices about ½-inch thick, discarding the cores. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and toss with brown sugar until evenly coated.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the dough from the fridge and let stand at room temperature for at least 5 minutes, or until just soft enough to roll out. Unwrap the dough, place it on a lightly floured workspace and roll into a 12-inch circle.

Step 4

Spray a 10-inch metal tart pan with non-stick or grease with butter. Place the dough in the tart pan, gently pressing it into the bottom of the pan. Press the dough into the sides of the pan and fold over excess dough to make a crust.

Step 5

Spread cream cheese filling onto the dough. Top with pear slices, arranging the slices into concentric circles. Sprinkle the pear slices with one more pinch of brown sugar and then transfer the tart to the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and pears have caramelized, about 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest at least one hour before serving so that the cream cheese filling has time to set.

This recipe is part of The Interlude’s Thanksgiving Week. Check out the other recipes here.