Easy Savory Pear and Blue Cheese Tart with Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto and Sage
Originally published October 2016. Updated September 2026.
Fall is in the air. Making it time for things like a savory Pear and Blue Cheese Tart with Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto and Sage.
The temperatures are cool and crisp. Geese are honking high overhead. And fall squash, dried beans, dark leafy greens, apples, and pears are making their appearances in the local markets. With sage becoming the herb of choice (it gets a little neglected the rest of the year) and the roasting season is back. While you’re at the market grab some winter squash and make a batch of these Fall Squash Pancakes.
Another wonderful thing about this time of year is the change in clothing as well. It’s time for cute boots, jeans, and sweaters. And dinner parties, which is exactly where this tart shines!
It’s perfectly elegant for brunch or as an appetizer for the upcoming holiday meals. The buttery flaky pie crust gets filled with a layer of caramelized onions, blue cheese and prosciutto topped with pears and sage. And to top it all off, it’s so EASY to make, sounding fancier than it is.
Pear and Blue Cheese Planning Tips
A huge advantage to this Pear and Blue Cheese Tart is that you can make it ahead. Pop it back into the oven to reheat or serve at room temp. the next day.
And please, don’t let the listed time scare you. This tart does NOT take three hours to make. Two of those hours are fridge time for the crust (or pop in the freezer to speed things up). BUT you do need to plan and not skimp on that chilling time. Otherwise, your crust will not be flaky and crispy.
In fact, you can make the crust ahead – wrapping it and leaving in the fridge for a day or two in advance. Of course, if you’re really pinched for time, you can use an already made crust (not my favorite choice but sometimes life gets in the way).
The actual prep time for making the crust and the ingredients is about a half an hour and the other 30 minutes is baking time.
Caramelizing the Onions and the Details
Making caramelized onions takes a bit of time and patience to get them perfectly right. You want them golden brown without burning them, which means stirring often. Also, because we’re adding a bit of sugar to them as they cook, it makes them burn a bit quicker. So, do plan to pay attention while making your onions.
And one huge advantage to caramelized onions is that you can make them ahead. Then pop into the fridge until you need them.
Once you have your Pear and Blue Cheese Tart put together, you could drizzle the top with a good olive oil. BUT I like to use the oil I crisped the prosciutto and sage leaves in. All that delicious, infused oil just adds another dimension of flavor to your tart. Save the extra to put on potatoes or in another dish.
Substitutions
This is a very interchangeable recipe. If you don’t have pears, use apples. Switch out the blue cheese for your favorite (stronger flavored cheeses will work better here), like a Pecorino Romano. If you don’t have or like the sage – rosemary, thyme, or basil will work.
You can even make the crust lighter by switching half the butter for olive oil. Or all of it! If you decide to go all olive oil, drop amount tablespoons to six instead of eight.
Slice of Pie…Or Pear and Blue Cheese Tart
I absolutely adore making this tart because of its incredible flavors and how easy it is to make. It travels well when you need to make a dish for a get together and can be made ahead for your own dinner parties. Have fun and enjoy! That’s what cooking is all about. Btw, if you’re wanting another delicious pear dish for serving at or taking to parties try my Roasted Pears and Turnips with Rosemary Fennel Honey Butter recipe.
And please, let me know if you give it a go or have questions. I’m always happy to talk food. After all, good food feeds the soul.
Recommended Ingredients & Tools
Ingredients
- Good Blue Cheese — you’re looking for a sharp, creamy blue cheese – not a cheap one that is kinda rubbery.
- Thin-Sliced Prosciutto — Try either pre-sliced from the deli counter or get the packaged kind. Or your favorite bacon. Fry until crisp, just don’t burn – then crumble to put on the tart.
- Rice Vinegar — Just a hint of acid to help balance the caramelized onions and keep them from tasting flat and one-note.
- Roasted Walnuts — don’t skip the step of roasting your raw walnuts in a dry pan for a few minutes taste noticeably better if you have five extra minutes. It makes them sweet.
Tools
- 11-Inch Tart Pan with Removable Bottom — you could use a regular pie dish, but using a tart pan with a removable bottom makes serving this tart so much easier when you cut it. Plus it looks so pretty sitting on the plate.
- Pastry Cutter — keep your butter cold when cutting into the flour. You can use a fork, but a pastry cutter makes it a lot easier and faster.
- Heavy Skillet (cast iron works well) — I’m a real fan of using a cast iron skillet for doing caramelized onions. Once your onions are done, do the prosciutto or bacon next and then fry the sage leaves in the leftover fat. Low heat works the best for all of this.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. These links and other affiliate links like them do not cost you any extra when shopping but they do help us fund the creation of this site and publications.
FAQ Additions
- Can I use bacon instead of prosciutto? Absolutely. Prosciutto is just Italian bacon. LOL. Okay, it’s cured ham. But yes, you can use American bacon – just realize it’s smokier and fattier. Prosciutto or presunto or serrano jamon are all saltier and crisps up because it’s thinner. I recommend making your bacon crispy.
- Can I make this tart ahead of time? 100% yes. I actually recommend making a day ahead or at least cooking up the ingredients ahead. It serves well at room temperature, so just gently reheat or make earlier in the day.
- What can I use instead of blue cheese? Gorgonzola – Italian blue, or go with a strong, sharp cheese. Something like Pecorino Romano or aged white cheddar.
- Can I make this vegetarian or vegan? Yep. For vegetarian, just leave off the meat. For vegan try your favorite vegan cheese.
- What’s the best way to reheat leftovers? Pop it back in the oven on moderate heat until warmed through. I don’t recommend the microwave because it makes the crust soggy soft. Bleck.
- Can I use a store-bought pie crust to save time? Of course. If you have time, make it homemade, but don’t not make this tart simply because you’re pressed for time. Use a high quality store bought one.
Pear and Blue Cheese Tart with Carmelized Onions, Prosciutto and Sage
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 cup all-purpose flour + extra for rolling
- ½ cup whole wheat flour or cornmeal
- ½ tsp. salt
- 8 tbsp cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 4-6 tbsp ice water
Filling
- 2 cups onions sliced thin
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 large pears
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- 3 strips prosciutto fried and crumbled
- 8-10 large sage leaves fried and crumbled
- ⅓ cup roasted walnuts roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- drizzle olive oil or infused oil
Instructions
Pastry
- Mix flours and salt in a large bowl.
- Cut in cold butter, using a pastry cutter or fork, until crumbs are pea-sized.
- Start adding ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft dough forms. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to two days or in the freezer for one hour.
- Roll chilled dough between two lightly floured pieces of parchment or waxpaper to about a 1/4 inch thick”
- Press rolled crust into an 11″ tart pan. Trim edges at top as needed. Place back into the fridge until needed.
Filling
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
- In a large skillet, over medium-low heat, cook the onions in 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil, with brown sugar and rice vinegar until onions are golden brown. Stir often and turn down heat if onions are sticking too much. Do not burn.
- Peel and core the pears, slicing lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Cook pears until slightly brown. Remove from heat.
- In a small skillet, add remaining olive oil and gently fry prosciutto and sage leaves until crispy. About 2 minutes. Remove to a plate until needed.
- Remove crust from the fridge and spread the caramelized onions in the bottom. Follow with the blue cheese and the prosciutto. Gently arrange the pears in a single layer across the top.
- Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with infused or olive oil.
- Place the tart into the oven for 25 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with toasted walnuts and sage leaves before returning the tart to the oven for around 8 to 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool to slightly warm or room temperature. Also good served the next day.