Puff Pastry Pear Pie Food

PUFF-PASTRY POACHED-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and vanilla seeds and pod in a medium saucepan; cook over high, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pears; if not completely covered in liquid, add water as needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover with a piece of parchment, pressing it directly on surface of pears; simmer until tender to the tip of a knife, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer pears to a heatproof bowl, then increase heat to high and boil liquid until reduced to 2 cups. Pour liquid over pears; refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out one piece of puff pastry about 1/8 inch thick. Using an inverted bowl or cake pan, cut out a 10-inch round with a sharp knife or pastry wheel (save scraps for another use). Transfer to freezer until firm but pliable, about 15 minutes. Repeat with second piece of puff pastry.
• Use a small cookie cutter or pastry tip to stamp out a 1-inch-diameter steam vent in center of first round (this will be your top). Gently press an inverted bowl or 9-inch cake pan into center of round to create a border. Freeze until firm but still pliable, 15 to 20 minutes. With a paring knife, score 8 ovals with leaflike points from center of vent out to border to create "petals," being careful not to cut all the way through dough. Score each petal to make veins. Add additional flourishes, if desired.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in lower third. Remove pears from liquid; slice each half into thirds. Remove second dough round from freezer and shingle with pears, leaving a 1-inch border; transfer to refrigerator.
• Separate egg; whisk white in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk yolk with cream. Brush border of bottom round with egg white, and lay top round over it, pressing to adhere. With the back of a paring knife, score around edges at a slight angle in 1/4-inch increments. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Remove pie from refrigerator and brush with yolk-cream mixture. Bake, rotating once, until puffed and very golden, 45 to 50 minutes (if browning too quickly, tent with foil). Let cool 20 minutes before slicing and serving, with ice cream.

QUICK PEAR TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Lay puff pastry sheet on a work surface brush with melted butter and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar. Cut into 6 even pieces. Fan the pear slices over the puff pastry, using 1/2 a pear for each puff pastry square. Sprinkle tops of pear tarts with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake until pastry is golden and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from tart from oven, sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts, 5 minutes more.

PEAR AND GRUYERE HAND PIES

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pears and the thyme and cook until the pears are tender and any juice has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
• Working with 1 sheet of puff pastry at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Trim about 1/8 inch off of each edge. Cut the dough into 6 equal squares. Transfer the squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Brush a 1-inch border of egg on each square. Divide the cheese among the 12 squares. Then divide the pear mixture among the squares. Fold the squares over into triangles and press to seal with a fork. Transfer the pies to the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brush the tops and sides of the pies with the egg. Cut a slit in each pie to allow steam to escape. Bake the pies until deep golden brown and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly and serve warm.

PUFF-PASTRY PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet to 12-inch square on lightly floured surface. Line 8-inch square baking dish with 2-inch-high sides with pastry, leaving 1-inch overhang on all sides. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add pears and toss well. Spoon pear mixture into prepared pastry. Dot top of pears with butter. Roll out second pastry sheet to 11-inch square. Brush overhang of bottom pastry with water. Top pie with second pastry sheet. Press pastry edges together to seal. Trim edges to 1/2 inch. Using small sharp knife, cut slits in top of pie for steam to escape. Bake until pastry is golden brown and pears are tender, about 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

HONEYED PEARS IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears; cut 1/4 in. from the bottom of each to level if necessary., In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon halves, cinnamon and cloves. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds; add bean and seeds to sugar mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; place pears on their sides in saucepan and poach, uncovered, until almost tender, basting occasionally with poaching liquid, 16-20 minutes., Remove pears with a slotted spoon; cool slightly. Strain and reserve 1-1/2 cups poaching liquid; set aside., Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 1/2-in.-wide strips. Brush lightly with beaten egg. Starting at the bottom of a pear, wrap a pastry strip around pear, adding additional strips until pear is completely wrapped in pastry. Repeat with remaining pears and puff pastry., Transfer to a parchment-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake on a lower oven rack at 400° until golden brown, 25-30 minutes., Meanwhile, bring reserved poaching liquid to a boil; cook until liquid is thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Place pears on dessert plates and drizzle with syrup. Serve warm.

OUZO SPICED PEARS WRAPPED IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel seed, pepper, raisins,ouzo & butter. Stuff a little of the spice mixture into each pear, pressing it inches.
• Cut each rectangle of puff pastry into an "X" shape. Place pear in center of each "X" and bring up the sides and wrap, overlapping and sealing with a little water.
• Shape leaves out of left-over pastry and adhere to pears with a little water.
• Brush with egg wash and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes, or until golden.