Pears baked in pastry

Yesterday, I tested one of the recipes I want to do for Christmas. Easy to make, this cozy dessert has plenty of “wow” factor and it looks like a beehive.

This is an elegant dessert and is fancy enough for a dinner party and also can be made ahead.

Ingredients:

4 small pears
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cup honey
50 ml cognac (optional)
1 small lemon, halved
3 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
6 to 8 whole cloves
1 vanilla bean
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg

Directions:

Peel pears and core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact.

In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon halves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cognac 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, for 18-22 minutes or until pears are almost tender, basting occasionally with poaching liquid.

Remove pears with a slotted spoon and cool slightly. Cook the liquid until is thick and syrupy, about 10-15 minutes.

Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2 cm – wide strips. 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 into a baking pan line with parchment paper. Beat the egg and brush the pastry with it. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Place pears on dessert plates and drizzle with syrup. Serve warm.