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    Poached Pear Vol au Vents

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    This elegant, seasonal dessert will be the perfect ending to your Thanksgiving Day feast. Flaky puff pastry cases hold pockets of white wine-caramel pastry cream, and a fork tender poached pear rests on top of each puff. 

    I’m always an advocate for individual desserts, mostly because I enjoy having a mini cake or pie all to myself. Something about it feels special, like a bit more thought and effort went into composing the end result on my plate. These pear puffs may look like they took a lot of effort, but they didn’t!

    Believe it or not, this recipe came to me in a dream. This happens occasionally. I will bake all night in my sleep and wake up (tired) with a new recipe that I need to get out of my brain and into real life. This one has three parts, but each is a simple fix. All the components can be made ahead and assembled  before serving. 

    If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you may know how much I love poaching pears, not to mention wrapping them in puff pastry (see this recipe from waaaay back!).  I mean, what’s better than warming yourself by a simmering pot of spices on a chilly autumn day? I’ll tell you what – having a delicious dessert at the end!

    One thing I’ve learned is that most any kind of wine added to the poaching liquid will greatly change the character of the fruit. It’s not really boozy because most of the alcohol is simmered out as the pears poach; but it’s the subtleties of the wine that shine through after the fruit is rested and cooled. You can use just about any white wine, but a simple, inexpensive bottle of Italian white wine that tips to the sweet side (spumante) is more than adequate.

    Puff pastry shells are so easy to make using ready-made frozen pastry and cookie cutters. A few brands make the shells already cut out and ready to bake – but for this project those are too small. Making these larger cases is easy, and if you don’t have the right size cookie cutters, you could use a small bowl’s rim and a paring knife to trim around it, and a juice bottle lid (or similar item) to cut the centers.

    After the shells are baked and the middles removed, they are filled with delicious white wine-caramel pastry cream. I altered the recipe from these champagne cupcakes I made ages ago. This recipe has always served me well (it’s almost committed to memory!) and this time I added dulce de leche just before I finished it with a little butter. Heaven!

    Serve them with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top and a single mint leaf at each pear stem.

    Overall, the three components balance each other so well. There’s the lovely unsweet flaky pastry, the creamy sweet filling, and just a touch of tartness from the pear. Serve with a dessert fork and a fruit knife for easy dining. 

    Each element can be made ahead. Bake the pastry cases and keep them in an airtight container. Make the pastry cream and store in the refrigerator, and poach the pears, which can be kept in their liquid in the refrigerator for up to four days!
    Poached Pear Vol au Vents
    [CLICK TO PRINT]
    Yields 6 servingsWhite wine-caramel pastry cream
    2 tablespoons cornstarch1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, divided
    1/2 cup (120 ml) sparkling white wine (recommend spumante)
    5 tablespoons (65g) granulated sugar
    1 whole egg
    2 egg yolks
    1/4 cup (3 oz.) dulce de leche
    2 tablespoons unsalted butterWhisk cornstarch in 1/4 cup of heavy cream in a medium bowl. Combine the remaining heavy cream, sugar, and 1/2 cup champagne in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from heat.Beat the whole egg and egg yolks into the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling champagne mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook. Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens considerably. Remove from heat and add the dulce de leche; stir until melted and smooth. Add the butter and stir until completely melted. Let cool and cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic touches the surface of the pastry cream. This will prevent a skin developing on top.Poached Pears
    6 small firm but ripe pears
    2 tablespoons lemon juice
    1 cup (200g) sugar
    1 bottle (750 ml) white wine (or remaining spumante from pastry cream)
    2 cups (480 ml) water
    2 cinnamon sticks
    Zest of 1 lemonPeel the pears using a small paring knife, keeping the stems intact. Brush the pears with lemon juice so they don’t brown.In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, wine, water, cinnamon sticks, and lemon zest. Place over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved; increase heat and bring to a boil.Add the pears to the liquid and simmer until fork-tender, usually about 20 minutes, but more time will be required for very firm pears. Remove pears to a wire rack or a plate to cool.Puff pastry cases
    3 sheets (1 1/2 boxes) puff pastry, thawed
    1 egg
    1 tablespoon waterOn a work surface, lightly roll a puff pastry sheet with a rolling pin until the creases in the dough are flattened. Cut five 3.5-inch circles out of the dough using a cookie cutter. Repeat the process with a second puff pastry sheet. From the last sheet of puff pastry, cut two circles. You should now have twelve 3.5-inch puff pastry circles.Transfer six circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter (or bottle cap) cut a circle into the centers of the remaining 6 puff pastry circles, but do not remove the cut out centers.Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl. Brush the pastry circles on the parchment-lined baking sheet with the egg wash and top each with the circles with the cut centers. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.Preheat the oven to 400°F.Bake the pastries for 10-12 minutes, or until they are golden and well-puffed. Please note that some of the pastry cases may puff out of shape accordion-style. If this happens, set them upright and lightly press the case back into shape while the pastry is still hot. Gently dig out/lift out their round centers using a fork (you can serve this piece of pastry on the side, or just eat it!). Let cool completely before filling.
    Assembly
    6 mint leaves
    1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamonJust before serving, place the puff pastry shells on a serving tray. Fill each pastry with the pastry cream to the top; rest a single poached pear on top of each pastry over the cream. Using a small paring knife, make a slit to one side of the top stem and insert a mint leaf in the opening. Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon over each pear and serve immediately.
    Make ahead: The puff pastry cases can be made a day ahead and kept in an air-tight container. The pastry cream can be made 2-3 days ahead, and stored in the refrigerator. The pears can be poached and cooled, then transferred to the refrigerator and stored in their syrup for up to 4 days. Bring pastry cream and pears to room temperature before assembling. Assemble just before serving.
    link Poached Pear Vol au Vents By Heather Baird Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2020Wednesday, October 28, 2020Poached Pear Vol au Vents Recipe LEGGI TUTTO

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      Mini Apple Pies

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      There’s nothing better than classic apple pie, unless it’s having one all to yourself! These little individual pies are big on flavor, and their sweet, buttery pastry crusts bake to golden perfection.I return to this time-honored classic for every kind of occasion, but I especially enjoy making it on patriotic holidays. It somehow feels reverent and dignified, having an apple pie on our buffet on Memorial Day or July 4th. Its origins lie across the pond, but it has become an American symbol, perfected by the hands of our predecessors and steeped in tradition.Individual desserts have always felt special to me, so I decided this year we’d all have our own little apple pie. The apple filling formula is pretty standard and easy to mix up, but the crust recipe is different from regular pie crust. I learned to make pate sucrée in pastry class, and I’ve found it holds up well to nearly any type of juicy pie filling – and it’s perfect for mini pies!
      A food processor makes quick work of forming the dough and it helps keep it cool, as warm hands will melt the cold butter pieces dispersed throughout the dough. Once processed, it will need to rest 30 minutes before rolling. I used a large pastry cutter to stamp dough rounds from the pastry, but you could also flip over your mini pie pans and trim around them 1″ larger than the pan rims.
      These little pies will need to be vented, and you could do so by cutting a slit in the tops of the pies, but I wanted to make these extra-cute for our holiday.A reinforced vent hole can be made with two small, nesting cookie cutters. To do this, first cut a circle from the rolled pastry for a top crust; set aside. Then, use the larger cutter to stamp a shape from the rolled pastry (here, a star). Lay it on the top center of the circle. Use the smallest cutter to cut a vent hole through the stamped shape and pastry round. Now you’re ready to top a pie!
      After fluting the edges of the pie crusts together, cover the pies with egg wash using a pastry brush and immediately sprinkle with coarse sugar. This makes the top crust golden brown and crunchy!

      The thyme in my little herb planter is full of twisty green sprigs, so I added a pinch of chopped fresh thyme to the pie filling. This is optional, but I really love the flavor.I’m serving these pies directly from the little glass pans they were baked in. You can find the pans I used here, if you’re looking for a set of your own.Wishing you a safe and happy holiday weekend!

      Mini Apple PiesYields about eight 5-inch piesFor 8 pies, make two batches of pastry crust, or you can halve the pie filling recipe and make just one batch of pate sucrée to yield just 4 pies.Pate sucrée crust2 cups (10oz/284g) all-purpose flourPinch of salt7/8 cup (14 tablespoons/198g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed1/2 cup (3.5 oz./100g) fine granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 egg, slightly beatenPlace the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter on top of the flour and pulse repeatedly in short bursts until the mixture looks crumbly. Add the vanilla and egg and pulse until the mixture forms a ball to one side of the bowl. Remove the dough and flatten into a circle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes before use.Apple pie filling1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar1/2 cup (106g) brown sugar, packed3 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg5 large, tart, firm apples, thinly sliced (tested with Granny Smith)1 tablespoon lemon juiceIn a small bowl, combine the sugars, flour and spices; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat.Assemble the piesEgg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water)Coarse crystal sugarPreheat the oven to 375°F.Roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface using a floured rolling pin. Cut 7-inch rounds from the dough and fit inside the pie pans. Fill each pie with the apple filling until heaping. Gather the dough and re-roll to 1/4-inch thickness.Cut more pastry rounds to fit the top of each pie. Cut a vent in the center of each pie using a small cookie cutter (or cut 3 slits in the top of the pie using a paring knife). Top the pie with the crust and press edges of the crusts together and flute. Brush pies with egg wash then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake the pies for 15-17 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden brown.Allow pies cool before serving, or serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.
      link Mini Apple Pies By Heather Baird Published: Monday, May 25, 2020Monday, May 25, 2020Mini Apple Pies Recipe LEGGI TUTTO