Pear & Cardamom Tarts With Puff Pastry

Two of my favorite blog ladies have posted some baking lately that left me inspired and very hungry this afternoon. I originally thought I'd copy Leslie's Apple Tart recipe, but I also loved the handheld aspect of Julia's Apple Roll. So I took a peek in my freezer and fridge and I was left with pears and puff pastry. With that, this is what I came up with. Thanks ladies for the baking inspiration, it had been quite awhile :)

Pear and Cardamom Tarts

1 box of puff pastry, thawed
6 firm pears, cut in half and then thinly sliced
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon  ground cardamom
2 tablespoons of butter cut into pieces

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees

*A note on cardamom:
A sweet friend asked me today what it was so I thought I'd post it here incase anyone else was wondering. The easiest thing to say is if you like chai, you'll like cardamom. It is is a spice primarily used in Indian cuisine and is from the ginger family. It is incredibly aromatic, warm, and goes well in both sweet and savory dishes. It is also incredibly strong so if you're unsure of the taste, maybe try an 1/8th of a teaspoon. On a random note it is also has many medicinal qualities. You can google it if you like, I'd rather not gross you out with medical stuff in a food post. On to the recipe!

Slice all of your pears and toss them in a bowl with the cinnamon, sugar and cardamom. Grease your baking sheet with butter and then lay a full sheet of puff pastry out on it.

Line up the pears all pretty-like, leaving about an inch open around the sides. Thank you Leslie for the idea :) and add a few pieces of butter to finish it out. Pop it in the oven for 15 minutes or until the juices are thick and the edges of the pasty are nicely browned. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Go ahead and dice up the remaining slices of pear and with the second sheet of pastry, cut it into 8  squares. Again, grease your pan with butter. Then place a piece of pastry down, add a heaping spoonful of the filling, and a little piece of butter on top. This section of the recipe was inspired by Julia's post, although very different, still inspired :)

Then take your four left over pieces of pastry and place them on top of the fillings. Use a fork to close the sides and bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

So delish and the smell is wonderful!

Bill moved my antique desk that I refinished with my grandfather into our living room this past weekend. It might just be my new favorite space in this house. During nap time I took a few minutes to sit at the desk, drink a cup of coffee, and enjoy this yummieness. It was lovely.