A Partridge and a Pear Tree

I dream of food...constantly. When I picked up these cute little tree molds a few years ago I started scheming of what to do with them to make an extraordinary Christmas dessert. In a dream...literally...the idea came to me. One of my favorite Christmas poems of all time is The Twelve Days of Christmas. The idea is to create a surprise for your guests. Don't tell them the name of the dessert (My dad always needed a name for the dish I served him--generally had to make it up on the spot, and he was happy.) Everyone loves pie, so this is a tiny version with a cookie crust and pear filling.
So, several years later, with the urging of my son (an instructables devotee) here's the fun holiday dessert. I'm sure it will be a "must have" Christmas dessert from now on at our house, and hopefully yours!

Equipment needed:
measuring cups
measuring spoons
hand mixer
medium sized bowls
flexible scraper
medium sized skillet or pot
6 tree molds--found them here, or look on e-bay or etsy for old jello molds from the 50s
non-stick baking spray
large holed grater
rolling pin
paring knife
sheet pan
small sieve
parchment or wax paper
pastry bag (optional)
pastry tips (optional)

Ingredients needed:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
3 pears
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup water
3-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces white chocolate
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon green decorative sugar

The Plan
Step 1--make the dough and chill it
Step 2--make the filling and chill it
Step 3--press dough in molds, fill with pears, seal with tree cut-out, bake and cool
Step 4--make the chocolate partridges and decorate the trees
Step 5--serve and enjoy!

This can be made over the course of several days, which is excellent for a big holiday meal. In fact, I made the pear tarts, wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer container. I froze them for a week until I was ready to decorate and serve. They can then be decorated and refrigerated for a day or two before serving. Just be sure to take them out of the refrigerator at least 2 hours before dinner so the filling has time to come to room temperature.

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Step 1: The Dough

1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg

Beat the butter, salt, and sugar together in a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer until fluffy.

Add the flour and beat until small clumps of dough is formed.

Add the egg and beat until the dough starts to come together.

Knead by hand until you have a smooth ball.

Wrap in parchment (or plastic wrap) and chill for at least an hour. (or overnight)