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Puff pastry grape tarts topped with jammy roasted grapes can be sweet with muscovado cream or savory with lemony goat cheese and prosciutto.
Why we love this recipe
This sophisticated-feeling pair of grape tarts is easy to make, so it’s a great party trick. You’ve got options:
- Make them sweet, with a lightly sweetened muscovado sugar cream as the filling
- Make them savory, with a lemony, creamy goat cheese and a thin slice of prosciutto under the grapes
- Or make half and half so people can choose their vibe
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
For the pastry shells
To make these pretty little individual shells, here’s all you need.
- Dufour is my favorite brand of puff pastry by far, but it’s more expensive and sometimes less available than supermarket brands. You can use whatever brand you like. Dufour comes in a 14-ounce package that’s a single sheet. If you’re working with a 17-ounce package that contains two sheets, you can use just one sheet for this recipe.
- Any honey will do. I like to use good old supermarket honey, which has a nice, mild flavor and easy consistency.
For sweet tarts
If you’re making dessert tarts, use these ingredients.
- Muscovado sugar is a less-refined brown sugar that retains a lot if its molasses character. It has a beautiful caramelly, earthy vibe. I like to use light muscovado, which is less intense than dark. You can use regular light brown sugar if that’s what you’ve got.
- Our roasted grapes with balsamic and thyme provide the top layer of these tarts.
- You’ll make the grape syrup by reducing the pan juices after you roast the grapes. This is easy to do by following the instructions in that post.
- A combo of cream cheese and sour cream provides just the right tang and creamy texture
For savory tarts
If you’re making savory tarts for a meal, use these ingredients.
- A nice, creamy fresh goat cheese (also called chèvre) is just the right base for the filling
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Thinly sliced prosciutto is easiest to work with
- Our roasted grapes with balsamic and thyme provide the top layer of these tarts.
- You’ll make the grape syrup by reducing the pan juices after you roast the grapes. This is easy to do by following the instructions in that post.
How to make them
Here’s what you’ll do to make a beautiful batch of grape tarts. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Roll out the puff pastry to a square. Use a 5-inch round cutter (or an overturned bowl and a paring knife) to cut out four circles. Then use a 3-inch cutter to create a smaller circle inside, cutting most but not all of the way through.
- Prick the inside circles thoroughly with a fork to discourage them from rising as much as the outsides. Stir together the butter and honey and brush the shells thoroughly with the honey butter. Bake in the center of a 400°F oven for 25 minutes, covering loosely with foil when browned to your liking. You can roast the grapes at the same time.
- Make the fillings. For dessert tarts, beat together the sour cream, cream cheese, and muscovado sugar until smooth and creamy. For savory tarts, beat the salt, pepper, and lemon juice into the goat cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the tarts. Spread some of the sweet or savory filling into the center of each tart shell. Top with prosciutto (for savory tarts only) and roasted grapes. Drizzle with grape syrup. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Expert tips and FAQs
Can I make these without puff pastry?
If you like, you can make these tarts with a regular pastry crust, either in individual serving sizes or as a single 10-inch tart. Use a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Here’s my favorite savory tart dough, and here’s a great crust for sweet tarts.
Can I make grape tarts in advance?
Sure thing. They’re great served at room temperature, so it’s fine to make them anytime during the day you plan to serve them. You can assemble them at the last minute for peak freshness, but they’ll hold well if you assemble them in advance, too.
More favorite sweet and savory tarts
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Puff Pastry Grape Tarts
Puff pastry grape tarts topped with jammy roasted grapes can be sweet with muscovado cream or savory with lemony goat cheese and prosciutto. Choose one style and use the whole quantity indicated for each filling, or make both and halve the amounts. You will need half a batch of our roasted grapes, with their juices simmered down into a syrup for finishing.
Ingredients
For the tart shells
- 1 14- ounce 397-gram package puff pastry
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) butter
- 1 tablespoon (21 grams) honey
For sweet tarts
- 4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese
- ¼ cup (60 grams) sour cream
- ¼ cup (50 grams) light muscovado sugar
For savory tarts
- 8 ounces (225 grams) fresh goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 thin slices prosciutto
To top both tart types
Instructions
- Make the tart shells
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- On a lightly floured surface, unfold, flour, and roll out the puff pastry to a square of at least 12 inches. Use a 5-inch round cutter or an overturned bowl and a paring knife to cut out four 5-inch circles.
- Using a 3-inch round cutter, make a smaller circle inside each round. Press down so that the cutter goes most of the way through the layers of pastry, but not all the way through, leaving the centers attached.
- Transfer the rounds to a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet.
- Generously prick the inner circles with a fork to discourage rising.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl. Stir in the honey until smooth.
- Brush the honey butter over the surface of the shells.
- Bake for 25 minutes, covering loosely with foil when the shells have browned to your liking. You can roast the grapes at the same time. Remove from oven and let cool. If centers have risen too much, you can gently press them down a bit to compress the layers and make more room for the filling.
Prepare the tart filling(s)- To make the sweet tart filling, place cream cheese, sour cream, and muscovado sugar into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat until smooth, light, and creamy.
- To make the savory tart filling, place goat cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. You can use a fork to blend until smooth and creamy or beat with an electric mixer (or stand mixer paddle). If you use a fork and the mixture is a bit stiff, you can pop it into the microwave for a few seconds to warm it and make it perfectly spreadable.
- Assemble the tarts
- Spoon 1/4 of the creamy filling into the center of each tart shell and spread evenly over the inner section.
- For savory tarts, drape two pieces of prosciutto over the center of each tart.
- Spoon some of the roasted grapes over each tart.
- Drizzle with a bit of the syrup and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Dufour is my favorite brand of puff pastry by far, but it’s more expensive and sometimes less available than supermarket brands. You can use whatever brand you like. Dufour comes in a 14-ounce package that's a single sheet. If you're working with a 17-ounce package that contains two sheets, you can use just one sheet for this recipe.
- Any honey will do. I like to use good old supermarket honey, which has a nice, mild flavor and easy consistency.
- Don't waste the puff pastry scraps. Cut them into three-bite pieces of whatever shape you like, give them a couple of twists, and brush them with honey butter. Bake and snack!
- Muscovado sugar is a less-refined brown sugar that retains a lot if its molasses character. It has a beautiful caramelly, earthy vibe. I like to use light muscovado, which is less intense than dark. You can use regular light brown sugar if that's what you've got.
- If you like, you can make these tarts with a regular pastry crust, either in individual serving sizes or as a single 10-inch tart. Use a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Here's my favorite savory tart dough, and here's a great crust for sweet tarts.
- These tarts are great served at room temperature, so it's fine to make them anytime during the day you plan to serve them. You can assemble them at the last minute for peak freshness, but they'll hold well if you assemble them in advance, too.
- Leftovers will not be in optimal form, but you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two.
Nutrition
Serving: 1, Calories: 519kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 504mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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