Directions

Macadamia Nut Cream

1. First toast the nuts in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Allow to thoroughly cool and then process them in a blender in short bursts, scraping down the sides as necessary, until they are evenly ground. Do not over process or allow them to get warm, otherwise they will turn into nut butter.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beat in well, and add the vanilla extract. Stir in the ground macadamia nuts and flour until evenly mixed. The mixture should be the consistency of a thick paste.

Caramel Sauce

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil vigorously for 2 minutes, remove from the heat. Cover and keep warm.

Tarts

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the pastry puff sheet into 4 even squares. On a lightly floured table roll out the pastry puff to a 1/8 inch thickness. Fold up the corners of the pastry puff to form 1/2 inch edges.

2. Spread macadamia nut cream in the center of each square. Overlap sliced pears, completely covering the hazelnut cream. Bake the tarts for about 20 minutes, until the edges are golden and the pastry is baked through.

3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Garnish each tart with a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar. Serve warm, drizzled with the warm caramel sauce.