This elegant baked pear is wrapped in a light flaky crust that’s as easy as pie to throw together!
These can be made stuffed or remain un-stuffed, whichever you prefer. Following a dinner party, we prefer to serve the stuffed versions and the filling can be altered in a number of ways. Use craisins instead of raisins, or try different varieties of nuts, add a dash of cardamom or clove.
This recipe is very inexpensive when pears are in season, a homemade pie crust costs less than .50 to prepare.
You’ll Need:
1 Pie Crust (your favorite recipe)
3 Pears
3 Tbsp. Butter
1/3 c. Cinnamon/brown sugar mix
3 Tbsp. Granulated or sanding sugar
Optional Stuffing Mixture: (Combine the following ingredients, mixing well)
1/4 c. Finely Chopped Walnuts or pistachios or pecans or a combination, as desired
2 Tbs Brown Sugar
1 Tbs Butter, softened
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1 Tbs Raisins
Now for the directions:
If at all possible, Poach pear in wine (of your choice) for 10 minutes and drain. If you don’t like wine or would prefer a non-alcoholic choice, poach pears in Cranberry Juice with 1/4 tsp cinnamon added to the juice. This really brings out the flavor and shouldn’t be skipped, but if you’re REALLY in a hurry to throw a dessert together, the poaching can be skipped.
Roll out pie crust until it’s about 1/8th of an inch thick & cut into 3rds
Center the pear on the pie crust dough, place a tablespoon of butter on the crust at the base of the pear.
Sprinkle generously with cinnamon/brown sugar and wrap crust around pear to shape. If you’d like, cut out a couple of leaf shaped pieces of dough and affix them to the top to give it a little flare.
Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with granulated or sanding sugar.
Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes until crust is golden brown.
Alternative Recipe: If you’d prefer the centers of the pears to be filled, after you poach the pears, slice them in half, hollow out the centers and fill them with about 1 1/2 Tbs of the stuffing mixture.
Press the pear back together and hold it closed while you wrap the pastry around it tightly and bake as directed above.
Serves 3
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / Apolonia
