Seckel Pear Tarts

Seckel Pear Tart with Spiced Brown Butter and Riesling Glaze made in mason jar lids sounds like it might be difficult, but I promise you this pear tart recipe is so simple to make and equally fun to eat. Using wide mouth Mason jars lids are the perfect individual tart molds. Poach the tiny pears in Riesling wine then use that syrup later to drizzle over the tarts. Serve with vanilla ice cream and dessert will be delicious.

What is a Seckel Pear?

Seckel pear, or sugar pears, are a small, very sweet pear that was first introduced in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. Search for local farms and fruit stands by using websites like Local Farm Finder or Yelp to help you find Seckel pears in your area and support local.

Why I love this Recipe

I received a phone call from my old neighbor who lived 2 farms away from ours the other day asking if I had any use for some plums, pears, and gourds from her garden.  Being the canner that I am, I couldn’t pass it up.  So I said sure and we made a date.

The next morning I tossed a big tub in the back of the convertible and headed out to her farm.  We hugged like we hadn’t seen each other in years and then headed out to the barn to see her husband Fred.

Along the way I snapped a picture of this perfect red plum.  It was calling me to pick and eat it.

Up at the barn was Marmalade.  “Marmie” is the brother of my cats Milo (Helper Catten) and Frankie (Cranky).  They were all barn kittens from Kathy’s house.

Fred and his “ranch dog” Tammy.  Pomeranians are the new ranch dog you know!

After chatting with Fred for a bit, we headed over to the garden.  Along the way is a giant pergola that Fred built.  In it hangs 2 hammocks that beckon you to come take a siesta in the shade. Kathy sent me home with gorgeous Gladiolus from her garden.  They are still fully blooming in a vase in my kitchen.  A beautiful reminder of a lovely day with a wonderful friend. No farm is complete without the old pickup truck.  I had to take this picture while I was on the hill picking Elderberries.

Thanks to Fred and Kathy for the bounty of goodies they sent me home with.  Especially these Seckel Pears that are gracing these mini tarts.  If you can’t find Seckel’s you can used Barletts of Bosc pears, you’ll just need to quarter them.

Ingredients in Seckel Pear Tarts

• Seckel Pears – if you are unable to find Seckel pears, substitute Bartlett or Bosc pears, you’ll want to cut them into smaller pieces to fit into the molds.
• Riesling Wine – is a sweet and dry wine. Substitute Gewürztraminer or Chenin Blanc
  Sugar – white sugar
• Vanilla Bean
• Butter
• Spices
• Eggs
• All-purpose Flour
• Pie dough/pastry

Thanks to Fred and Kathy for the bounty of goodies they sent me home with.  Especially these Seckel Pears that are gracing these mini tarts.  If you can’t find small Seckel pears you can used Barlett pears or Bosc pears, you’ll just need to quarter them.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Seckel Pears – if you are unable to find Seckel pears, substitute Bartlett or Bosc pears, you’ll want to cut them into smaller pieces to fit into the molds.

Riesling Wine – is a sweet and dry wine. Substitute Gewürztraminer or Chenin Blanc

Sugar – white sugar

Vanilla Bean

Butter

Spices

Eggs

All-purpose Flour

Pie dough/pastry

How to Make

Add the riesling, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 vanilla bean with seeds to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the peeled pears and poach in the wine simple syrup mixture for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and reserve the cooking liquid.

In a small saucepan, add the unsalted butter, 1 vanilla bean and seeds, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Brown the butter over medium heat until it smells nutty and is slightly brown. Remove from the heat and cool briefly.

Add the eggs, sugar, flour, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the brown butter through a mesh sieve over the egg mixture. Whisk to combine.

Place the wide mouth mason jar rings with rubber ring side down on a rimmed cookie sheet. Using another mason jar ring as a cookie cutter, cut 9 circles of pie or tart dough and place inside of the 9 lids. Cut strips with a sharp knife or pastry cutter from the excess pastry dough and line the mason jar lid ring molds, pressing bottoms and seams. 

Add 2 poached pears upright to each ring. Top with 2 tablespoons egg custard mixture. Bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes, or until the pie crust is golden brown and the custard is puffed. Cool tart on a wire rack

Bring the poaching liquid to a boil and reduce to 1/4 cup. Drizzle a teaspoon over the cooled pear tarts, pop them out of the ring molds, and serve immediately.

Tips & Tricks

You can absolutely make this recipe using 1 regular tart pan with removable bottom instead of individual tarts. You’ll follow the same steps just doing it once by adding all of the pears to the tart pan and covering in the pastry cream to bake. Cooking times will vary and since I have not made it this way previous, I can not give exact times. 

Seckel Pear Tarts Recipe

5 from 2 reviews

This super fun and elegant recipe for Seckel Pear Tarts made in wide-mouth mason jar lids has a puffed spiced brown butter batter and a sweet Riesling wine glaze. The perfect single serve dessert that can also feed a crowd.

prep timePrep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

number of servings9 Servings

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• Wide Mouth Mason Jar Lids

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Ingredients

  

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• 18 Seckel pears, carefully peeled leaving stem intact, cored from the bottom.
• 2 cups Riesling wine, or other sweet dry wine
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 8 tbsps unsalted butter
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ star anise
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ⅛ tsp kosher salt
• basic pie dough, store-bought or homemade

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Instructions

 

• In a medium saucepan add the Riesling, sugar and vanilla bean & seeds and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat.  Stir until sugar dissolves.  Add the pears and poach for 20 minutes over medium-low heat.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the pears to a rack set over a cookie sheet.  Let cool.  Reserve the poaching liquid.
• In a small saucepan add the butter, vanilla bean and seeds, cinnamon stick and star anise.  Over medium heat cook until the butter starts to brown and smells nutty.  Remove from the heat and let cool briefly.
• In a medium bowl add the eggs, sugar, flour and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Pour the browned butter through a fine meshed sieve set over the egg mixture.  Whisk to combine.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Set 9 wide mouthed mason jar rings on a cookie sheet.  Add the lids but turn them so the rubber side is facing down.  Roll out the pate brisee and using another mason jar ring, cut out 9 circles and place in side of the rings on the cookie sheets.  Using a sharp knife of pastry cutter, cut strips 2 inches wide by 10 inches long.  Place the strips in the rings and press them along the bottoms and at the seam.  Repeat with remaining rings.  Place 2 poached pears upright in each prepared ring.  Ladle about 2 tablespoons of the egg custard into each, dividing equally.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the custard is puffed.  Let cool on a wire rack.
• Bring the poaching liquid to a boil and reduce to 1/4 cup.  Ladle about a teaspoon of the Riesling glaze over each tart and serve.

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Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 432mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 143IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.

course of this recipeCourse: Desserts

cuisine typeCuisine All Cuisines, American

keywords used in this recipeKeyword: fruit recipes, pie recipes

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Hi! I’m Heather

I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.

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