Caramelized Onion, Pear, and Blue Cheese Puff Pastry Tart

Inside: Easy caramelized onion, pear, and blue cheese puff pastry tart recipe. Perfect for a party appetizer or date night dinner.

Savory puff pastry tarts are some of my favorite appetizers to make for parties. They’re usually really simple with only a handful of ingredients, and they pretty much always taste and look A LOT fancier than the amount of work they take to put together.

This caramelized onion, pear and blue cheese puff pastry tart is the perfect example. You only need a few minimal ingredients to make it, you get a combo of classic flavor pairings, and the tart looks cute and elegant enough for serving to guests.

I really love this recipe because it works all year round. It’s special enough for fall and winter parties, but the sweet pears and salty cheese also work for spring or summer events too.

Whether you cut it into larger slices or serve it as small bite-sized squares, it’s always a crowd favorite!

Check out my other puff pastry appetizer ideas, too:

• Cherry Tomato and Burrata Appetizer With Puff Pastry
• Cranberry Brie Pinwheel Bites With Puff Pastry
• Mini Pumpkin Quiche Cups With Puff Pastry

How to Make This Pear and Blue Cheese Puff Pastry Tart

Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 1 egg
• 2 large onions (or 3 medium / 4 small)
• Oil for cooking
• 1 large pear, thinly sliced (or 2 medium)
• 3.5 oz blue cheese, crumbled
• Honey for drizzling
• Dried thyme
• Handful of pistachios, crushed

Step-by-Step Guide

1. The first step is caramelizing the onions because this part takes the longest, about 30-40 minutes.

Peel the onions, then cut them into medium-thin slices.

Now this part is a bit tricky, because you don’t want the onions cut too thin, but not too thick either – somewhere in the middle is the way. Too thin and they’ll burn, too thick and they will take forever to cook!

2. Heat oil in a big pan and add the onions, cooking them over medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Once they start to slightly brown, turn the heat low immediately. You don’t want to cook the onions at high heat for too long, or they will burn instead of browning and caramelizing.

3. Cook the onions for about 25-30 minutes on low heat, mixing them every now and then to get them to cook and caramelize evenly.

The onions are ready for this recipe when they’ve turned a light brown color. We don’t need to caramelize them completely, since they’ll continue cooking in the oven.

Once the onions are ready, remove them from the heat and pan and let them cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F, then prepare the puff pastry.

Roll it out on a large cutting board and fold the edges over the dough about 1/2 inch – this will help keep the filling in place.

5. Beat an egg in a small bowl, then brush it all over the pastry.

6. Poke holes in the pastry using a fork to keep it from puffing too much.

7. Thinly slice your pear and cut each slice in half, then arrange them on the puff pastry base.

8. Top with caramelized onions and spread them over the pears evenly.

9. Crumble blue cheese over the pears and onions, and bake the tart for about 25-30 minutes until the edges have puffed and turned golden brown.

10. Before serving, drizzle with a bit of honey and sprinkle with dried thyme and crushed pistachios.

Serve and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

• Caramelizing the onions will take about 30 minutes. You might want to rush this along by cooking them on high heat, but don’t! The high heat will burn your onions, rather than caramelize and brown them.

• Use ripe pears, but make sure they’re still firm, so they’ll hold their shape while baking.
• The tart tastes best when it’s still slightly warm, but it’s almost as good when it’s cold!
• If you’re making this ahead, bake it and let it cool, then reheat briefly in the oven before serving to crisp the pastry back up.
• This pear and blue cheese tart is perfect as an appetizer, but also works as a side dish or light lunch/dinner with salad.

📌 Pear and Blue Cheese Puff Pastry Tart With Caramelized Onions (Recipe Card)

Ingredients (Makes 12 large or 24 small pieces)

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 1 egg
• 2 large onions (or 3 medium / 4 small)
• Oil for cooking
• 1 large pear, thinly sliced (or 2 medium)
• 3.5 oz blue cheese, crumbled
• Honey for drizzling
• Dried thyme
• Handful of pistachios, crushed

Equipment

• Large pan
• Baking tray
• Parchment paper
• Mixing bowl
• Pastry brush

Instructions

1. Peel and slice onions into medium-thin pieces. They should be thick enough to hold shape but not too thick to slow cooking.
2. Heat oil in a large pan and cook onions over medium heat for a few minutes until they begin to brown.
3. Reduce the heat to low as soon as the onions have turned slightly brown and continue cooking for another 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and softened (not fully caramelized). Set aside to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F.
5. Roll out the puff pastry on a large cutting board and fold over the edges by ½ inch to create a small border.
6. Beat an egg in a small bowl and brush it over the edges and the whole base.
7. Poke the center of the pastry all over with a fork, so it won’t puff up too much.
8. Thinly slice the pear and cut each slice in half, then layer the pear slices over the pastry base.
9. Evenly spread the caramelized onions over the pears, then crumble blue cheese over everything.
10. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the edges of the pastry are puffed and golden.
11. Just before serving, drizzle the tart with honey and sprinkle with dried thyme and crushed pistachios.
12. Tastes best when served warm, but it’s very good when served cold as well!

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