Pears make such a fabulously versatile picnic ingredient.
Pack them whole for a portable and tasty sweet snack. Slice them and add them to a wine and cheese platter or turn them into deliciously sophisticated picnic menu ideas such as our pear and blue cheese appetiser or our grilled pear, fig and smoked duck salad.
While the key to great picnics is keeping things as simple as possible, it doesn’t mean you can’t still make a big statement. Sheet tarts are about as easy as it gets when thinking of picnic ideas beyond sandwiches and salads.
The sweetness of pears and the distinct flavour of fennel with creamy ricotta and salty blue cheese on flaky puff pastry is an easy picnic dish that will always impress.
A simple tart to make, it will hold its own for so many picnic occasions. A tart that is sophisticated enough to serve with a salad for a romantic picnic and delicate enough to serve in small slices as part of a wine and cheese platter. It is also a great finger food idea for large group picnics when you want to venture beyond dips and chips.
You can make this tart ahead of time and serve at room temperature or pop it in the oven just before time and serve it hot. We give you all the tips for keeping food hot for your picnic here.
Pear and Fennel Tart with Ricotta and Blue Cheese
A super simple sheet tart with sweet pear, fennel, ricotta and salty blue cheese. A versatile dish that only needs a few ingredients to make it special. Cut as you like to serve as a main dish, as a finger food appetiser or as part of a wine and cheese platter.
Ingredients
- 1 roll frozen puff pastry defrosted. Square sheets are best but round works as well.
- 250g (about 1 cup) ricotta (more or less for larger or smaller pastry sheets)
- 1 cup fennel finely sliced (use a mandoline to achieve a nice thin slice)
- 80g soft, crumbly blue cheese - Stilton, Roquefort, or Gorgonzola
- 2 -3 Fresh ripe pears quartered, cored and thinly sliced
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (Sea Salt flakes)
- 1 egg for egg wash.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C and prepare the ingredients.
- Roll the defrosted puff pastry out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Using a small sharp knife, lightly score a border inside the edges of the puff pastry, about an inch from the edge. Be careful not to cut through the pastry, just score it.
- Spread the ricotta evenly (not too thick) over the pastry staying inside the scored line.
- Fold the external border in towards the centre folding from the scoreline to create a crust. Make light scores around the border to add extra puff.
- Beat the egg and brush the pastry edge.
- Sprinkle with fresh thyme and about a third of the finely sliced fennel.
- Crumble the blue cheese across the ricotta reserving a small amount as a final garnish crumble.
- Layer the slices of pear over the ricotta mixing the remaining fennel in with the pear layers.
- Place the tart in the oven for approx 20-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry border is crisp and the pears are tender. To ensure the pears and fennel soften and the bottom of the pastry cooks well, I recommend lightly covering the tart with a layer of baking paper for the first 10-15 minutes of cooking to prevent the top crust cooking too fast.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly (or make use of our tips for keeping picnic food warm if transporting hot to a picnic).
- When cooled slightly, sprinkle with salt flakes, fresh thyme leaves and crumble remaining blue cheese.
- Slice as desired and serve.
Notes
Recipe Variations
- To make smaller individual tarts, after step 2, cut your pastry into quarters and proceed with each individual tart.
- A drizzle of honey adds additional sweetness to compliment the strong blue cheese.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 162Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 377mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 7g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate
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