Poached Pear Puff Pastry Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Make the pastry cream: Bring milk, heavy cream, vanilla seeds and pod, and 2 1/4 teaspoons granulated sugar to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; discard vanilla pod.
• Meanwhile, whisk remaining 2 1/4 teaspoons granulated sugar and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk in egg yolks. Gradually add one-third of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in half the remaining milk mixture, then return the entire mixture to saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Strain pastry cream through a fine sieve into a bowl. Whisk in butter. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the poached pears: Bring granulated sugar, 3 1/2 cups water, and vanilla seeds and pod to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add pears. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with a round of parchment, and cook until pears are just tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes. Let pears cool in syrup, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the tart shell: Roll out puff pastry to a 10-by-11-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Press an inverted 10-inch fluted tart pan into the pastry to cut out a round. Using a paring knife, score a 9-inch circle (without cutting all the way through) inside the round, making a 1-inch border. Prick inner circle all over with a fork. Brush outer edge with egg wash. Slide pastry onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pastry until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Assemble the tart: Remove pears from syrup using a slotted spoon, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spread pastry cream onto inner circle of tart shell. Fan pears and tangerine over top, alternating every 2 pear slices with a tangerine segment. Sprinkle with superfine sugar. Hold a small handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 inches from sugar topping. Move flame back and forth until sugar melts and turns golden brown. (Alternatively, heat broiler and bake pie on top rack until sugar starts to brown, about 2 minutes.)

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.