Pear or Apple Crumb Tartlets
(Makes 2 dozen tartlets)

You will need mini muffin pans for this dessert.  (They are sometimes called “gem” pans.) They need to be lined with mini paper muffin or cupcake liners, which are available in well-stocked grocery stores, and at kitchen shops. This is an easy make-ahead dessert that is so fragrant with holiday spices and homey flavors that you will be surprised at the little effort required. (It looks like more trouble than it is.)  And the cream cheese dough is very forgiving, so there’s no need to be nervous about making the crusts.

For the crust:
4 ounces unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese (do not use nonfat) at cool
room temperature
1 cup bleached cake flour (not self-rising)

For the filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 d’anjou pears (or Granny Smith apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the topping:
1/2 recipe Streusel Topping (from the Recipes page of this web site)  OR
2 or 3 cinnamon graham crackers

If you are baking the crusts right away, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange the oven racks so they divide the oven into thirds. Line mini muffin pans with paper liners whether you are making the crusts ahead or baking them now.

Place the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy and smooth. Scrape the bowl and add the flour, blending on low speed just until the flour is mixed in. Using a cookie scoop or a one-tablespoon measure, divide the dough into the paper lined muffin cups. Coat your fingertips with flour and use your index fingers to pat the dough into the paper liners. Be sure the dough goes all the way up the sides of the liners. If you are making the crusts ahead, you can freeze them at this point. See the Recipe Guidelines page for instructions on freezing. If you are baking them now, place the unbaked crusts briefly into the freezer while you prepare to bake them.

When you are ready to bake the crusts, tear heavy-duty aluminum foil into 24 pieces, each about 2 inches square.  Spray the shiny sides with non-stick pan spray, and press the shiny side of each piece of foil down into a dough-lined muffin cup, pressing the foil firmly against the dough.  Bake the foil-lined crusts (still in the muffin pans) in the preheated oven on the bottom rack, for 10 minutes.  Rotate the pans halfway through the baking time. Pull the muffin pans from the oven and very quickly remove the foil from the crusts. Press down the bottoms of the crusts if they have puffed, and return the pans to the oven.  Bake for another 3 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and set them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the crusts, in the paper cups, and place them on the wire racks to cool. When cool, you can store them at cool room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or you can fill them with the Chocolate Orange filling the same day you will be using them, refrigerating them until about 30 minutes before they will be served.

To make the filling, melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy frying pan. Add the diced pears or apples, the brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, and sauté the mixture until the fruit is cooked, and the juice is reduced and bubbly. This will take about 5-7 minutes.

If you are using Streusel topping, after combining it place it in a frying pan that has been heated over medium heat, and stir the streusel topping until it is toasted and turns a medium brown. Immediately pour it out of the frying pan onto a plate so it stops cooking. If you are using cinnamon grahams for the crumb topping, put them into a zip top plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. 

To assemble the tartlets, place a tablespoon of pear or apple filling into a mini tart crust, and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoonful of topping over them. If desired, serve with crème fraiche or whipped cream.

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