Honeyed Pears in Puff Pastry

Poaching fruit is one of my favorite things to do when cold weather arrives.  It’s so warming to stand over a boiling pot of fragrant spices and lose yourself in thought.  When I made these, I couldn’t help but daydream as I stirred;  if I were a pear… I wouldn’t want to spend my days on the shelf of a cold produce department.  I’d want to be taken to a warm home and placed in a jacuzzi of honey and spices.  I’d want to be wrapped in an extra long puff pastry scarf and baked until golden and toasty.

That sounds a little silly, but that’s what I’d want… if I were a pear. 

The idea for these came from the Pepperidge Farmwebsite.  They looked so much like little bee hives that I decided to poach them with honey. 

On a personal note, our Christmas tree is already up courtesy of  Mr. Baird.  I have (gratefully) been inundated with projects and handed the tree decorating baton over to him.  I am ashamed to say that I was hesitant to do this. I’m a little obsessive when it comes to decorating, and my past Christmas trees have been a little too “department-store looking” (his words).  I must say, his new ornament choices are charming, and have an almost Scandinavian feel.  I love it!

Since poaching is a relatively easy task, I’ll skip to some helpful tips for wrapping the pears in puff pastry.  You’ll need a small cup of water, a paint brush and 1 sheet of puff pastry cut into 1/2 inch strips.

The poaching liquid has a high concentration of sugar, so your pears will be sticky.  The pastry will have no problem sticking to the surface of the pear.  Begin wrapping the puff pastry in a tight spiral from the bottom of the pear up.  When you come to the end of your first strip of pastry (above, left) brush a little water on the end and press to adhere the pastry pieces. Continue to wrap in a tight spiral.

When you reach the top, tuck in the end piece of pastry behind the last spiral.

Honeyed Pears in Puff Pastry                  [click for printable]

4 small pears

1 sheet of ready made puff pastry dough, thawed

4 cups water

2 cups sugar

1 cup honey

1/2 lemon

1 vanilla bean, seeded with hull reserved

3 sticks of cinnamon

6-8 whole cloves

Peel pears and core from the bottom.  Cut the bottom of the pears strait across, so they will stand upright.  Set aside.  

In a medium saucepan, combine the 4 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1 cup honey.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  When the sugar has melted, add the pears, vanilla seeds and hull, 1/2 lemon, cinnamon and cloves.  Simmer pears until they are fork tender.  This can take 20-40 minutes, depending on the ripeness of your pears.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

When the pears are soft, remove them from the pot and allow them to cool slightly.  Discard solid pieces from saucepan and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the poaching liquid.  While pears are cooling, cut the puff pastry into 1/2″ strips.  One sheet of puff pastry will cover 4 small pears.  Large pears will need a second sheet of puff pastry to compensate.

Wrap cooled pears with puff pastry starting at the bottom and working upwards.  When you come to the end of a pastry strip, brush it lightly with water and press to adhere to the next pastry strip.  Continue wrapping until you reach the top of the pear.  Tuck the end of the last pastry piece behind the previous dough spiral.  Place wrapped pears on a parchment lined jelly roll pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown. 

Simmer the reserved poaching liquid over medium heat until thick and syrupy.  Plate pears and top with syrup.

*NOTE: Your favorite blend of spices can be used in this recipe – go crazy! 

Follow:
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
97 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jessica @ How Sweet
Jessica @ How Sweet
13 years ago

These are so beautiful! And I love that your tree is up already. Ours is going up this weekend!

Caroline
Caroline
13 years ago

Beautiful! Never thought to wrap poached pears in pastry, I'll have to try that!

Sweetapolita
Sweetapolita
13 years ago

You are amazing–it's insane! Beee-u-tee-full!

Mrs. Puma
Mrs. Puma
13 years ago

This is one of the most beautiful fruit dishes I've ever seen, I love it!

koralee
koralee
13 years ago

Oh my friend…now that is a Pear fit for a KING!!!! Your images always inspire..stunning. xoxoxo

Jane Ko
Jane Ko
13 years ago

That's a brilliant idea! You're always so inspiring. & gorgeous pictures as usual!

Kathleen
Kathleen
13 years ago

These look like little works of art!!!

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! I mean really, it such a perfect looking dessert!

Katie Yoon
Katie Yoon
13 years ago

wow!! Look so beautiful! I am sure that taste is very good too^^

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

these pears are gorgeous. i make poached pears quite frequently, but haven't thought to wrap them like a beautiful gift as you have.

Justin
Justin
13 years ago

wow, i'm not even a fan of pears, but those look really cool

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

Oh my, they're stunning! Love the little Russian doll ornament too.

Have a great weekend.

Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking
Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking
13 years ago

This has to be one of the most elegant desserts I've ever seen. Absolutely beautiful! Plus, I've been meaning to try to make poached pears anyway, and this recipe of yours is my best excuse yet. Thanks so much for sharing! I'm so glad I found your blog, Heather.

katie [the bright life]
katie [the bright life]
13 years ago

This looks incredible!! Already planning to make it soon! 🙂

Life love, clutter and other beautiful things.
Life love, clutter and other beautiful things.
13 years ago

YUM!!! What a gorgeous idea to wrap them in puff pastry!! xox

Debs @ Acquiredish
Debs @ Acquiredish
13 years ago

Your pears sound and look delicious.

I can't believe your xmas tree is up already. The sun is shining here in Spain and it just doesn't feel like xmas yet!

Beth
Beth
13 years ago

Your pears are so lovely. I'll have to bookmark this one — it looks delicious and easy!

Lauren
Lauren
13 years ago

What a gorgeous presentation! I bet the pears taste simply delicious :).

Su-yin
Su-yin
13 years ago

These are absolutely gorgeous – and so simple as well! Amazing. 🙂

Kelly
Kelly
13 years ago

They look soooo good!

CaSaundraLeigh
CaSaundraLeigh
13 years ago

Just the looks of these are sooo fancy–I bet they taste amazing too 🙂

cookies and cups
cookies and cups
13 years ago

gorgeous…! Love the new look too!

A Bitchin' Kitchen
A Bitchin' Kitchen
13 years ago

This looks delicious and those ornaments are adorable! Do you happen to know where they came from? They're totally my ornament style!

Anonymous
Anonymous
13 years ago

What a great idea! The pears look so neat like this. I love poached pears, I will have to give this a try!

Heather (Heather's Dish)
Heather (Heather's Dish)
13 years ago

oh my word, these are gorgeous and i can't imagine how amazing they taste!

Jehanp
Jehanp
13 years ago

Such a beautiful and classy dessert, love it! I also love your cute owl :-).

Yue Jiang
Yue Jiang
13 years ago

wow, it looks so yummy!!! nice presentation too

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

To A Bitchin' Kitchen, (Hi there!)

Most all of the ornaments came from Target. I only found a link to the owls online, but they should be available in-store most everywhere. (I would think).

The little wooden owls link:

http://tinyurl.com/2d4gmqa

Samantha
Samantha
13 years ago

amazing looking! seriously drooling over here!

Lydia
Lydia
13 years ago

They look like little beehives! I would so make a little bumblebee somehow to put beeside it! But I'm dorky like that.

Alyssa
Alyssa
13 years ago

These are simply gorgeous! I can't wait to make them for my family and see their jaws drop 🙂

Lili
Lili
13 years ago

You always take a recipe to the next level and I just love your pear analogy regarding the jacuzzi! You are so delightful! As usual your presentation is flawless. And that sweet little hooty owl on your tree, yes Mr. Baird did REAL good! ~Lili

Andrea
Andrea
13 years ago

Wow. These are beautiful! And I'm sure yummy, too.

lidia
lidia
13 years ago

amazing, i can't wait to try them!

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

Hah! I love their little scarves. Nice presentation.

And I'm liking your tree decorations. 🙂

Ingrid_3Bs
Ingrid_3Bs
13 years ago

I keep thinking your not gonna top your last post and yet time and time again you do it.

Fabulous photos!
~ingrid

Gloria
Gloria
13 years ago

Heather, you are the Master (Mistress?) of gorgeous desserts. Love this! Thanks for sharing with us.
Best regards,
Gloria P.S. Love your/your hubby tree decorations!

marla {family fresh cooking}
marla {family fresh cooking}
13 years ago

This is such a creative idea Heather! Love what you say here – "jacuzzi of honey and spices" Yes, enrobed in the pastry & honey is a much more fun place than the grocery store. Gotta tweet this now!! xo

Courtney
Courtney
13 years ago

Wow, these are gorgeous. Amazing pictures!

Megan
Megan
13 years ago

If I were a pear, I'd want you to buy me! 😉
This looks totally awesome. I would love to see pictures of your decorations this holiday! (hint hint)

Kristen
Kristen
13 years ago

This is simply amazing…what a gorgeous idea for a holiday table.

Laura (Blogging Over Thyme)
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme)
13 years ago

These look spectacular! I can't wait to get my Christmas tree, then it really feels like the holidays.

di_ani
di_ani
13 years ago

These pears look beautiful and delicious.
Great idea and photos.
Greetings, Diana

Chocolate Shavings
Chocolate Shavings
13 years ago

It seems that we were both in a pear mood! I just made poached pears with a chocolate sauce

http://ourchocolateshavings.blogspot.com/2010/11/poached-pears-with-chocolate-ganache_19.html

I love the idea of wrapping them in puff pastry!

Amanda
Amanda
13 years ago

I featured you today on my blog I would love if you stopped by to check it out! Todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com

Amanda

Cookbook Queen
Cookbook Queen
13 years ago

GORGEOUS!!

These look so beautiful and yummy!!

bridget {bake at 350}
bridget {bake at 350}
13 years ago

Oh my stars!!! Those are STUNNING! Just stunning!

Maria
Maria
13 years ago

So gorgeous!!

We Are Not Martha
We Are Not Martha
13 years ago

Wow, these look absolutely beautiful! I'm super impressed 🙂 Perfect to impress all your holiday guests! 🙂

Sues

Erika Beth, the Messy Chef
Erika Beth, the Messy Chef
13 years ago

This is probably one of the most amazingly pretty desserts I've ever seen. I can't wait to try making it. 🙂