Crisp flaky pastry, moist ground almonds, spiced tender pear and a sprinkling of icing sugar. These vegan pear and almond filo tarts are simple and so delicious! Especially with a scoop of ice cream!
Dessert at home doesn’t always have to be fancy or complicated, but these vegan pear and almond filo tarts are fancy, but so simple! The flakiness and crispness of filo always makes it look spectacular in my opinion, especially with a dusting of icing sugar and scoop of ice cream on top. The pear slices are coated in cinnamon and honey before baking, which will make your kitchen smell glorious!! This dessert is as delicious as it is simple, making it perfect for a family dinner or romantic meal!
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pears – The pears are really the star of the show here, so you want to choose either a conference or comice pear. These are sweet juicy pears that cook really well. We’re not poaching the pears before cooking, as they’ll be sliced in the tart, so you want to make sure the pears are ripe when you’re baking.
- Filo (Phyllo) Pastry – Filo pastry (or phyllo) is naturally vegan as it’s made from just flour, water and oil. It also takes serious skill to make – and a lot of space!! – so its not something I would advise making yourself. You’ll only need 8 sheets or leaves for the four tarts, though the recipe scales up really easily if you want to make more!
- Vegan Baking Block – Filo pastry must be brushed with a fat (oil or butter) before baking, so for this recipe you will need to melt vegan baking block. I personally wouldn’t advise using a margarine or vegan spread for this, as the consistency will be very oily. For a sweet bake I think the baking block best mimics the flavour you’d get from dairy butter.
How to make vegan pear and almond filo tarts
These tarts are best eaten warm fresh from the oven, so you want to make them just before you’re ready to eat or before the main course. Baking them only when you’re ready to eat. The filo needs to be crisp and flaky, and if you leave them to sit out after baking, the moisture from the pears can cause them to soften (even with a ground almond barrier!). The tarts are so easy to assemble you won’t be worried, and I’ve got lots of tips and photos below to help!
Preparing the tart filling
The first step in preparing the tart filling is to slice your pears lengthways, keeping them quite thin. We’re not poaching the pears first, so keep them thin to ensure they cook evenly and are tender. Do make sure you remove any seeds though! Place all the slices into a bowl, add the ground cinnamon and runny honey and mix! You want to make sure the pear slices are evenly covered, so that each tart is equally delicious.
If you wanted to make more than four tarts (or less than!), you can easily scale up/down the recipe. Each tart uses two filo sheets, so you would just use as many filo sheets as tarts you want to make. For the filling, it roughly works out as one pear per two tarts – so for example, to make 6 tarts I would use; 3 pears, 3tsp ground cinnamon and 1.5tbsp honey (plus 105g ground almonds).
The final step in filling preparation is to weigh out your ground almonds. I find it easiest to have this weighed in advance, as you will need to split this evenly between the four tarts when assembling.
Assembling the tarts
When working with filo you need to work fairly quickly, as the filo can dry out and crack easily. So make sure you have your filo sheets, cinnamony pear slices, ground almonds and melted vegan baking block ready. I find vegan baking block begins to solidify quicker than dairy butter does, so if it’s becoming unworkable, just melt it again gently.
So step by step;
- Lay down one sheet of filo onto a clean worktop/board
- Using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter over the entire sheet
- Lay the next filo sheet directly on top, and smooth out a little so they stick together
- Spoon 1/4 of the ground almonds into the middle of the filo sheets in a circle
- Lay 1/4 of the pear slices on top
- Scrunch the filo sheets around the edges of the pear slices, leaving the top open a bit like a galette
- Finally, brush the scrunched filo with more melted butter
So simple but so effective! The tarts can then be baked for 25-27 minutes until they’re super crisp and golden brown. The combination of crisp pastry and tender sweet pear is just divine! And with a sprinkling of icing sugar and generous scoop of ice cream? Sublime!
Tips & Tricks
Sorry, but no! I would only make them an hour or two in advance of serving. So make them before you have your main course, and then pop them in the oven while you’re still eating. You want to eat these when they’re warm and crisp!
Yes, you could swap the pear for apple if you prefer – they have a similar texture and would still be a delicious combination with the almond, cinnamon and honey.
Technically you can keep them in an air-tight container for 1-2 days after baking, popping them into the oven to refresh before eating. But I personally think they taste best fresh.
I’m so happy with how these little tarts turned out. I love an easy bake, especially when its a post-dinner dessert! And being vegan and super delicious too, its a win win! The pears are so tender and perfectly sweet & spicy from the honey cinnamon marinade. They pair so well with the moist ground almonds and crisp flaky pastry, sprinkled in sweet icing sugar and of course a big dollop of ice cream!
You may also like:
- Spiced Apple Rose Tart
- Blackberry, Rosemary & Honey Galette
- Vegan Pear, Walnut & Caramel Sticky Brioche Buns
Vegan Pear and Almond Filo Tarts
Ingredients
- 2 medium pears conference or comice
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 8 sheets filo (phyllo) pastry
- 100 g vegan baking block
- 70 g ground almonds
- icing sugar for dusting
- ice cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Firstly, line one or two baking trays with baking paper and preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas Mark 5. Slice the pears thinly lengthwise and place into a bowl with the honey and ground cinnamon. Using a spoon or your hands, mix well to combine. Then set aside. Then weigh out the ground almonds, and set aside.
- Melt the baking block either in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan on the hob. Then place one filo sheet onto a clean work surface or board, and using a pastry brush, brush some of the melted baking block all over the filo sheet. Place another filo sheet on top, and smooth gently with your hands to stick. Spoon 1/4 of the ground almonds into the centre in a flat circle, then place 1/4 of the cinnamon honey pear slices on top, overlapping them a little.
- Then fold and scrunch up the filo around the circle of almond pears, leaving the majority of the filling exposed, to make a little tart. Place the tart onto one of the lined baking trays. Working quickly, repeat the process with the remaining filo, pears and almonds to create three more tarts. Then brush the filo on all four tarts with the remaining baking block (re-melting if its begun to solidify).
- Bake for 25-27 minutes (rotating the trays halfway through, if using two), until golden brown and crisp. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and with a scoop of ice cream if desired.
