Creamy, sweet, gooey, flaky… are you drooling yet? Pear and brie tartlets shaped into hearts are an easy way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the person you care about the most. Flaky phyllo dough, creamy brie cheese, and sweet Anjou pears topped with honey, rosemary, and sea salt for a savory herb addition. Whether it’s your first date or if you want to up your game from last year’s surprise, these tartlets are sure to impress.

You’re probably feeling the pressure of Valentine’s Day, but you want to do something more personal than a box of chocolate and some heart-shaped balloons. 

Homemade is always the way to go in our book. It shows that the person who made it put some thought and care into what they wanted to give you. 

Pear and Brie Tartlet is sponsored by Sage Fruit.

And this pear and brie tartlet is no exception. The flaky phyllo dough adds a level of appreciation for the hands that prepared it. Filled with sweet and salty, creamy and crispy for an out-of-this-world bite.

All you need is 7 ingredients and 30 minutes to pull off this recipe. 

Let’s make our way to the kitchen.

What Is a Tartlet?

You’ve probably seen a tart at your local bakery with some type of fluffy, flaky pastry on the bottom and a sweet or savory filling on top. Opposite to pies, tarts don’t have a layer of dough on top and they aren’t as deep. If tarts are the mama, tartlets are the baby. They’re usually bite-sized, or personal-sized, tarts that can easily fit in one hand, like an hors d’oeuvre.

Legend has it that the tart was invented toward the end of the late 19th century by two sisters in France who ran a hotel together. They weren’t married so it was called “Tarte de Demoiselles Tatin” — the tart of two unmarried women named Tatin. Tarts are still popular in France, varying in filling according to each region. Many families have their own secret recipes with various fillings.

Phyllo Dough v. Puff Pastry

Phyllo dough has thin, paper-like layers that crisp up when baked, like in baklava. Puff pastry is light, airy, and well… puffy, like a danish or croissant. The main reason the end result is so different is that phyllo dough has very little oil in it and puff pastry has lots and lots of butter. When you brush phyllo dough sheets with butter and layer them, you get that coveted brittle, crackle effect.

Both are used to make a wide variety of sweet and savory desserts and appetizers.

Ingredients

Sage Fruit Red Anjou Pears

Anjou pears are an all-purpose pear that’s juicy when ripe and subtly sweet with a refreshing lemon lime flavor. We love using Anjou pears from Sage Fruit because they focus on delivering the best quality of pears from their growers to you. 

These pears are best for your tartlet because they are firm and can hold their shape during the baking process. The bottom of Anjou pears have a large circular shape that tapers toward the top, called the neck. Look for pears that are more firm instead of soft. 

Check for ripeness by gently pressing near the base of the stem. If it has some slight give in the flesh, it’s ripe and ready to go into your pear and brie tartlet.

Brie Cheese

Named after the French region where it originated, we decided to add this soft cheese for a few reasons. It has a white mold rind that’s edible so nothing is wasted and the inside oozes creamy indulgence with a mild taste. And it contains a lot of cream, which gives it a silky, buttery texture when it melts. 

If you don’t want to eat the rind, you can use a knife to cut it away. 

Phyllo Dough

We used phyllo dough because we love the crisp, thin layers that crumble all over your plate as you eat it. Messy foods are always more delicious, aren’t they? The layers and the heart shape elevate these tartlets to make them feel a bit more special. Whether this is your first Valentine’s day with your significant other or your 50th, these are sure to show how much you care.

How to Make Pear and Brie Tartlets 

Step 1

Cut heart shapes into your phyllo dough.

Step 2

Brush each sheet with butter and place your phyllo hearts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Step 3

Put a cube of brie on each tartlet and bake for 10 minutes, until melted.

Step 4

Add diced pears and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Step 5 

Let it cool for 5 minutes in the baking pan. Drizzle with honey. 

Step 6

Sprinkle it with salt and rosemary. Serve with love. 

Tips With Love

How many sheets of phyllo dough?

Phyllo recipes usually have 3-10 layers. The more layers you add, the stronger your tartlet will hold up. Since we’re adding some weight with brie and pear slices, the more layers you add, the better your chances that your tart won’t fall apart on you. We recommend using all of the phyllo sheets, stacked on top of each other for the best results. 

How do you keep unused phyllo dough from drying out?

Keep your unused phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap or wax paper. Then on top of that, lay a damp towel. This prevents the dough from drying out to the point that you can’t work with it anymore. Be sure to cover the unused sheets each time you get a new sheet of dough.

They are fine to sit at room temperature for 2 hours. But your tart will be in the oven long before then. 

Do you have to brush phyllo dough with butter?

Yes, phyllo dough is paper thin with hardly any fat in it. But it’s also very delicate. Use a pastry brush to gently and lightly coat each layer of phyllo. This adds a glossy look to the base of your tartlet and helps each layer brown to golden, flaky perfection.

Why We Love Sage Fruit

The Pacific Northwest is famous for delicious apples and pears that are grown in the perfect climate and soil. High-density orchards help Sage Fruit growers produce apples and pears year after year. 

But what makes Sage Fruit so unique? They are a company that cares about delivering nutritious fruit for you, your family, and the people who grow their produce. They are not shy in sharing that their company has a high emphasis on integrity, teamwork, innovation, passion, and pride. Anytime you see a Sage Fruit label, you can feel good about eating their fruit!

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach… but we like to believe that women love a delicious recipe made with love, too. Pear and brie tartlets are an easy way to a creamy, gooey, crispy, sweet, and salty bite. With brie cheese and Sage Fruit’s Anjou pears, you can’t go wrong with this recipe. Use the store locator tool to find the best pears for your tartlet. 

Want more tasty Sage Fruit Company recipes?

• Apple and Pear Nachos
• Air Fryer Apple Fritters
• Whipped Cherry Goat Cheese
• Chocolate and Caramel Apple Bites
• Apple Pecan Salad
• Easy Apple and Pear Recipes for Kids