Savor the flavors of fall with this irresistible pear puff pastry recipe. Juicy poached pears wrapped in golden, flaky pastry and topped with a luscious vanilla bean syrup create a stunning dessert that's perfect for an autumn dinner party.
Pear Puff Pastry
Updated on Nov. 21, 2024
Whole poached pears wrapped in puff pastry bake up into a sweet, elegant dessert. A drizzle of vanilla bean-flecked syrup made from the poaching liquid makes them shine. It’s something special to serve in late summer and early autumn when the best seasonal pears begin arriving in markets, a true celebration of a seasonal ingredient. The best part? Thanks to store-bought puff pastry they’re far easier to make than they look!
Put them on an autumn dinner party menu or make them using late-season pears for a Thanksgiving dessert that’s just as easy as pie.
Ingredients for Pear Puff Pastry
- Pears: The star of the show, poaching pears in a flavorful and sweet syrup ensures that they will bake up into a tender and juicy filling for an elegant dessert.
- Sugar and honey: Two sweeteners flavor the poaching liquid. Cooked down into a syrup, they complement the pears and add a touch of caramel complexity.
- Lemon: Adds acidity to the poaching liquid, balancing the sweetness and brightening the flavor profile.
- Cinnamon and cloves: Two baking spices infuse the poaching liquid with a warm, aromatic flavor that complements the pears. Using whole spices, rather than ground ones, keeps the syrup light-colored and clear.
- Vanilla bean: Vanilla seeds and the pod itself impart nuanced and floral vanilla flavor to the poaching liquid that permeates through the finished dish.
- Puff pastry: Provides a light and flaky crust that surrounds the poached pears and gives the dish a welcome textural contrast between the soft fruit and light, crisp pastry. Make homemade puff pastry or use a single sheet from a box of store-bought frozen puff pastry. Use up the leftovers in any of these puff pastry recipes.
- Egg: A beaten egg acts as both a glue and an egg wash in this recipe, adhering the puff pastry strips to the pears and helping the pastry to take on a golden brown color when baked.
Directions
Step 1: Prep the pears
Core the pears from the bottom, leaving their stems intact. Peel pears; cut 1/4 in. from the bottom of each to level them if necessary.
Test Kitchen Tip: The best tool we’ve found for safely coring pears without halving them is a tomato corer, but a melon baller also works!
Step 2: Poach the pears
In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon halves, cinnamon and cloves. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds; add both the bean pod and seeds to the sugar mixture. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat so the liquid is simmering; place pears on their sides in the saucepan and poach, uncovered, until almost tender, basting occasionally with poaching liquid, 16 to 20 minutes.
Step 3: Remove the pears
Remove the pears with a slotted spoon; cool slightly. Strain and reserve 1-1/2 cups poaching liquid; set aside.
Step 4: Wrap the pears in puff pastry
Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut it into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Brush each strip lightly with beaten egg. Starting at the bottom of a pear, wrap a pastry strip around the pear, adding additional strips as necessary until the pear is completely wrapped in a pastry spiral. Repeat with remaining pears and puff pastry.
Step 5: Bake the pears
Transfer the wrapped pears to a parchment-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake on a lower oven rack at 400°F until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 6: Make a syrup
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 the syrup. Serve warm.
Recipe Variations
- Switch out the syrup flavors: Substitute the vanilla bean for a splash of almond extract or orange flower water to give these pears a totally different flavor profile.
- Customize the spices: Cinnamon and clove are great baseline flavors of warmth. You can add to their profile by adding allspice berries, anise or fennel seeds, grated nutmeg, or mace to the poaching liquid.
- Change water to wine: Add dimension to this recipe by replacing the water in the poaching liquid with either white or red wine. Either one will add acidity and color, layering in even more flavor with the other syrup ingredients.
How to Store Pear Puff Pastry
The best way to store leftover pear with puff pastry is to let the pears cool completely, then place them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How do you reheat Pear Puff Pastry?
Reheat pear puff pastry in a preheated 350° oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Serve with any leftover poaching syrup.
Pear Puff Pastry Tips
What kind of pears should you use to make pears with puff pastry?
Though you can make this recipe with any type of pear you like, it’s best with a medium-ripe pear that is juicy and has a soft, smooth texture. Choose any color of Anjou, Comice or Bartlett pears for the most consistent results.
Bosc pears, which have a firmer, drier texture also make lovely poached pears, though you may find you’ll want to cook them a little longer to achieve a uniformly soft texture.
How can you tell when the pears have poached enough?
The easiest way to check the texture of poached pears is to use a cake tester or a thin paring knife. When sufficiently cooked, either should slide easily through the flesh of a pear without resistance. Since you’ll be baking these pears in the oven to cook the pastry as well, it’s best to err slightly on the side of undercooking them, because if they’re too soft, it will be very difficult to wrap them in pastry.
Help! My puff pastry didn’t puff! What did I do wrong?
If you’re using store-bought puff pastry that didn’t puff, it’s likely because at some point it became too warm and the layers of fat and flour melted together. This is why we recommend defrosting frozen puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator a day ahead of time, rather than on the countertop or, the worst option, in the microwave.
Pear Puff Pastry
Prep Time
35 min
Cook Time
25 min
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 small pears
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 1 small lemon, halved
- 3 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)
- 6 to 8 whole cloves
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Directions
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
1 pear with 3 tablespoons syrup: 518 calories, 17g fat (4g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 205mg sodium, 92g carbohydrate (49g sugars, 9g fiber), 5g protein.
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A honey of a salute to late-summer pear season, this cozy dessert looks both elegant and decadent. Wrapped in puff pastry, the pears resemble little beehives. —Heather Baird, Knoxville, Tennessee
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