Puff Pastry Pear Pie 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:

• 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.

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 pastry bases:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and lightly butter a heavy baking sheet.
• Sprinkle a work surface with granulated sugar and roll out puff pastry about 1/8 inch thick, turning once to coat both sides with sugar. Cut out 4 rectangles, each about 4 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches, and transfer to baking sheet, reserving scraps for another use. Prick pastry all over with a fork and put baking sheet in freezer until pastry is chilled well, about 15 minutes.
• Lightly butter bottom of another heavy baking sheet and put directly on top of pastry rectangles to weight them while baking. Bake pastry (between 2 baking sheets) in middle of oven 25 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown, and transfer to a rack to cool. Pastry bases may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container.
• Make pears and sauce:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. (if pastry bases have been made ahead) and lightly butter a small baking dish just large enough to hold 4 pear halves in one layer.
• Peel, halve, and core pears. Arrange pear halves in baking dish, cut sides up. Divide butter among pear cavities and sprinkle 1/4 cup granulated sugar over pears. Sprinkle lemon juice over pears and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Remove baking dish from oven and turn pears so that cut sides are down. Baste pears with cooking juices and return to oven. Bake pears until tender, about 15 minutes more. Transfer pears to a plate and keep warm.
• Transfer cooking juices to a small heavy saucepan. Add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and boil, swirling pan, until mixture turns a deep golden caramel. Slowly add cream (caramel will bubble up) and simmer sauce, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir poire William into caramel sauce.
• Sprinkle each pastry base with confectioners' sugar and top with a pear half. Serve baked pears with caramel sauce.