Puff Pastry Couronne With Poached Pears Recipes

Steps:

• Peel the pears, and place in medium saucepan. Add wine, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, orange peel, lemon peel, cloves, star anise, bay leaf, and just enough water to cover pears.
• Set saucepan over high heat, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, occasionally stirring gently, over medium-low heat, until a paring knife easily pierces pears, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let pears cool in liquid.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a plate. Pour poaching liquid through a sieve set over a bowl. Discard solids, and return liquid to saucepan. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until liquid has been reduced to a syrup that coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 45 minutes. Let cool; store pears in an airtight container until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, arrange pears on a platter or on individual plates, and drizzle poaching liquid over them.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut 4 "walls" of puff pastry by cutting approximately 1-inch wide strips along each side of a sheet of puff pastry. Set "walls" aside. Poke the remaining "floor" of puff pastry with a fork to provide an escape for steam.
• Lightly apply the egg wash just inside the cut edges of the "floor". Stack "wall" pieces on top of "floor" piece placing the cut edge of the "walls" on the outside edge. Dab ends of "walls" with egg wash and fold long pieces over to form a square.
• Cut a 7 by 7-inch square out of the second sheet of puff pastry. Fold it in half and cut vents for steam along the fold.
• Shake bread or cake crumbs on drained cherries and let sit for 10 minutes. Spoon cherry mixture onto pastry "floor", using more than you may think necessary to compensate for the pastry puffing. Apply egg wash on "walls" avoiding the very edge.
• Lay vented "top" piece on top. Brush with egg wash.
• Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Unfold. If pastry does not unfold easily, thaw for an additional 5 to 10 minutes and retry.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 10 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. With a dry pastry brush, brush away any excess flour.
• In a small bowl, lightly beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water to create an egg wash.
• With the pastry brush, brush entirety of dough sheet surface with egg wash. Along all 4 sides, fold over a 1/2-inch of the edge to create a ridged border around pastry. Brush top of this rim with egg wash as well. Prick pastry (inside the rim) all over with a fork (this ensures that the dough inside the border does not puff up like the outer rim will).
• Arrange thinly sliced pears on pastry, covering all of surface area, but in a single layer. Sprinkle pears with sugar, pear liqueur, and dot with cubes of butter.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
• While tart is baking, combine peach preserves and peach nectar in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir to combine. Heat on high for 15 seconds at a time until preserves have melted, stirring each time. Once mixture has completely melted, push through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps or pieces of fruit. Set aside.
• Once tart has finished baking, remove from oven. Brush peach glaze over entire tart, both fruit and pastry. Cool to room temperature and serve.

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.

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.)