Pears are Spouse's favorite fruit and desserts made with them are irresistible to her. I had a leftover pastry on hand the other day so I decided to try this cute dessert just for her, which is like a pear pie with caramel sauce. She is normally quite restrained when it comes to desserts, eating only small servings, but this one she scarfed down to the last crumb!
A perfect showy dessert for dinner parties or just a terrific homemade treat after Sunday dinner.
Pastry for 4 - 6 pears
Pastry for 4 - 6 pears
Butter Pastry
1 cup very cold butter cut in small cubes
2 ½ cups flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water + 2tbsp white vinegar added (Only enough liquid to make a dough form.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into flour, brown sugar and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible. Pour vanilla into cold water then pour over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible.
Divide dough into 4 to 6 balls, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out into circles large enough to wrap around the pears.
Caramel Sauce
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter cut in small cubes
4 tbsp water
1 cup whipping cream
Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a large saucepan. NOTE: I use a large saucepan of about 3-4 quarts or larger because the sugar foams up when you add the butter and cream so make sure you have a large enough pot.
Boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture begins to turn a light amber color. It is very easy to burn this mixture which can happen very quickly once the proper color is achieved, so have your butter and cream at the ready, as timing is crucial for this recipe.
When the color is right, quickly add the butter and stir quickly until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the whipping cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is uniformly smooth.
Prepare the pears by mixing together:
2 ½ cups flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water + 2tbsp white vinegar added (Only enough liquid to make a dough form.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into flour, brown sugar and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible. Pour vanilla into cold water then pour over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible.
Divide dough into 4 to 6 balls, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out into circles large enough to wrap around the pears.
Caramel Sauce
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter cut in small cubes
4 tbsp water
1 cup whipping cream
Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a large saucepan. NOTE: I use a large saucepan of about 3-4 quarts or larger because the sugar foams up when you add the butter and cream so make sure you have a large enough pot.
Boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture begins to turn a light amber color. It is very easy to burn this mixture which can happen very quickly once the proper color is achieved, so have your butter and cream at the ready, as timing is crucial for this recipe.
When the color is right, quickly add the butter and stir quickly until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the whipping cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is uniformly smooth.
Prepare the pears by mixing together:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Using a melon baller, remove the cores up to the neck of the pears. Stuff the holes with the cinnamon sugar. Place pears on each rolled out pastry circle and bring the edges up to wrap around the pear. You can cut triangle shaped sections out of the circle of pastry if you feel it is overlapping too much and becoming too thick. Pinch the pastry together to seal it and smooth the seams out with your thumb. Cut leaf shapes out of dough scraps and score a leaf pattern into the surface with the tip of a sharp knife. Attach the leaf to the stem of the pear by wetting the back of the leaf with a few drops of water and pressing it onto the surface of the pear.
Chill the prepared pears for a half hour before baking in a preheated 375 degree F oven on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 25- 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with caramel sauce.
Chill the prepared pears for a half hour before baking in a preheated 375 degree F oven on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 25- 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with caramel sauce.
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