Phyllo Tart with Pears & Brie

Do you love a good tart, but hate making the crust? This one’s for you! The folded phyllo sheets create a beautiful “crust” that’s light and flaky. An easy savory-with-a-hint-of-sweetness dish, along with making a simple salad while it’s baking and… you have brunch!

While brunch is a definite go-to destination for this tart, this is one of those dishes that you can enjoy at pretty much any meal. It even serves as a dessert for those who prefer their final course more on the savory side. Are you ever out to dinner and wonder just who goes for that cheese course at the end of their meal? Well, this dish may just turn you into one of those people!

No matter when you plan to serve it, suffice it to say that Brie and pear slices nestled into folds of phyllo dough bound with a custardy mixture of eggs and cream, topped with a sprinkle of walnuts and drizzled with honey will leave your family and guests wondering just how long that you spent in the kitchen. There’s certainly no need to tell them it took less than 30 minutes to assemble! Are you tempted yet? Let’s get started!

As pictured above, you will need:

• Approx 10 oz store-bought phyllo dough
• 4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 8 oz wheel of Brie
• 1.5-2 pears (any variety will do; I like to use Red d’Anjou for the color)
• 2 oz rough-chopped walnuts
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Fresh herbs of choice, rough-chopped (optional and not shown above)
• Honey, to taste, for drizzling

To prevent the phyllo from drying out, I like to keep it wrapped in its store packaging and refrigerated while I prepare everything else. This way all I need to do is fold it up (more on that in a minute), add everything else and pop it in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 350⁰ F with the rack on the middle shelf.

Brush a bit of the melted butter on the bottom of a 13” x 9” baking dish.

You only need the lightest film of butter – and only on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the Brie into approximately 1/4" wide slices and set aside.

Note that the Brie will be much easier to slice if it is cold, so keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to slice it.

Slice the pears in half lengthwise, core them, trim the tops and bottoms, and slice them into approximately 1/4” wide slices and set aside.

A melon baller is my favorite tool to use to scoop out the core and inner stem of the pears.

Pop the Brie and pear slices into the fridge until you’re ready for them. I find that keeping the cheese and pears all on one tray makes easy to move them around. Again, keeping that Brie cold will make it much easier to handle. Note that I sliced only one-and-a-half pears. These were on the larger side, so I didn’t think I would need that last half. I can always slice it later, if I need it. Finally, keeping the sliced pears stacked together like this will keep them from discoloring until they’re ready to use.

Whisk together the eggs and cream, then set aside.

You’ll see that I decided to add a bit of rough-chopped fresh tarragon to the mixture. I have a balcony full of fresh herbs at the moment and I enjoy using them whenever I can! I like the way tarragon works with the pears and Brie, without overpowering either. You may use whatever fresh herbs you’d like (thyme would work well), or none at all. It’s entirely up to you. Note that there is no need to refrigerate this mixture since you’ll be using it in just a few minutes.

Onto the phyllo! When I first started using phyllo as an ingredient, I found it very frustrating: it was always breaking apart, never doing what I thought it was supposed to do. Maybe you feel the same way. After awhile I learned that it may not assemble in one perfect piece, but rarely does that ever make a difference in the final dish! Once I got past that hurdle, it became fun for me. And the good part about this recipe is that you’re working with dry phyllo – you don’t brush any butter on it until after it’s in the baking dish. This keeps the mess to a minimum and makes it much easier to handle.

Take the phyllo out of the refrigerator and unwrap it, laying it out flat. Lift off two sheets and place them on your work surface. You are going to fold the phyllo sheets together back and forth, accordion-style – like folding a paper fan – making each fold about 1.5”. Place the folded phyllo into the baking dish, folded edges up. Since you will be placing the Brie and pear slices into the folds of the phyllo, you want as many folds as you can get. So, you will want to fold the phyllo in the direction that will give you the most number of folds. Take a look at this quick video – I think it will give you a better idea:

Once you get the hang of it – and just go with the flow of the irregularities that will undoubtedly arise in the phyllo – it goes really quickly. You can see that “the most number of folds” for me in this package of phyllo ended up fitting the 13” side of the baking dish. When I made this same dish a couple of weeks ago with a different brand of phyllo, my “most number of folds” went along the 9” side of the baking dish because not all phyllo producers cut their sheets the same way. This is why the amount of phyllo called for in the ingredients is noted as “approximate.” This time I ended up going through the folding process 7 times (or was it 8? I’m sorry, I lost count!). So, 10 oz of phyllo – approximately!

With your baking dish filled with folded phyllo (we have a new tongue twister), you’re ready to nestle in the pear and Brie slices. In the video, I mentioned not cramming the folded sheets together too tightly. Keep in mind that the phyllo is essentially creating the “crust” for your tart. If you want a denser “crust”, you can opt to fit in another set or two of folded sheets, if you wish. I prefer keeping it on the lighter side.

It doesn’t matter what order you place the Brie and the pear slices into the phyllo. I started with the pears and followed up with the Brie.

The most important rule is that there are no rules! Place the slices into the folds of the phyllo throughout the dish and follow your heart. You simply cannot make a mistake. As suspected, I found that I did not need that last half pear. It did, however, make for a delicious snack!

Now brush the entire top with the remaining melted butter, focusing especially where the phyllo is exposed – you can see the buttery sheen on the phyllo.

Then slowly pour the egg and cream mixture over top and down the sides of the dish and scatter the top with walnuts.

Place the baking dish in the oven and set your timer for 40 minutes. When it’s done, it will be golden brown. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey.

Serve deliciously warm and enjoy!

I have just a couple of notes to add:

• The tart will keep well in the fridge (let cool completely before covering and refrigerating), and may be re-heated, uncovered, in a low-temp oven.

• You may prepare the tart ahead of time, right after brushing the top with butter. Lightly place damp paper towels over the tart so the phyllo won’t dry out, tightly cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Let it come to room temperature before pouring in the egg and cream mixture and topping with walnuts. Follow the same baking directions.

• Feel free to make substitutions to “make this your own.” I have also made this with apples and Camembert. I have used other nuts besides walnuts: pecans, pine nuts, almonds. I have tossed in dried cherries, blueberries or cranberries. I have not tried softer “juicy” fruits like peaches, nectarines or strawberries; I think they might get too mushy, but I’ve been tempted to try, especially during the summer season. If you try them, please let me know!

• You will definitely have leftover phyllo dough. For an easy, crunchy snack idea, take a peek at an older blog post of mine: Sweet Phyllo Dough Bundles. Still tasty after all these years!

It’s still summertime at The Chopping Block. Seasonal classes abound – both indoors and out on our patio. Take a look at our Class Calendar to find class just for you!

Phyllo Tart with Pears & Brie

Yields: 8 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Approximately 10 oz store-bought phyllo dough

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

8 oz wheel of Brie (keep refrigerated until ready to slice)

1.5-2 pears (any type will do, however I like to use red d’Anjou for the color)

2 oz rough-chopped walnuts

2 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

Fresh herbs of choice, rough-chopped (optional and not shown above)

Honey, to taste, for drizzling

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰ F, with a rack on middle shelf.
2. Very lightly brush the bottom only of a 13”x9” baking dish.
3. Slice Brie in half, then into 1/4” slices. Set aside on small sheet pan or platter.
4. Halve pears lengthwise, core, trim tops and bottoms. Slice into 1/4" slices. Set aside with Brie, keeping slices together to prevent browning.
5. Place Brie and pear slices in fridge until ready to use.
6. Whisk eggs and cream together. Add rough-chopped herbs, if using. Set aside.
7. Fold two phyllo sheets together back and forth, accordion-style – like folding a paper fan – making each fold about 1.5”. Place the folded phyllo into the baking dish, folded edges up. Repeat until the pan is comfortably full, not crammed tightly together.
8. Nestle the pear and Brie slices into the phyllo folds.
9. Brush the entire top with remaining melted butter, focusing especially on where the phyllo is exposed.
10. Slowly pour the egg and cream mixture over the entire tart and down the sides of the baking dish.
11. Scatter the top with walnuts.
12. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown.
13. Remove from oven and drizzle with honey.
14. Serve warm.