Poached Pear Puff Pastry

Poached pear puff pastry is the perfect dinner party dessert! It features pears poached in sweet vanilla cinnamon liquid and baked in a flakey puff pastry crust. 

In the near future, I plan to host dinner parties for my family and friends. When that comes, this will be the first dessert I’ll serve! 

But for now, I’m perfectly content enjoying these poached pear puff pastry desserts on the couch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Poached Pear Dessert

This is the kind of fruit dessert you serve to people who claim to hate fruits.

After poaching and baking the pears, they take on a silky, almost custard like texture. 

The pears absorb the warm and sweet flavors of the poaching liquid.

The combination of cinnamon, vanilla bean, and honey makes these pears so comforting and delightful. 

Which pears are best for poaching?

I used Barlett and Starkrimson. Anjou is another recommended pear.  

Starkrimson:

• Sometimes, these are simply labeled as “red pears.” These pears are very juicy and known for their bright red skin.
• Best enjoyed raw, but this pear can also withstand cooking. 

Poaching pears should be just ripe. Not underripe or overripe! But perfectly ripe! 

Underripe pears are not as juicy and flavorful. Overripe pears will turn soft and mushy after poaching. 

It is best to ripen pears at room temperature. Check the pear’s neck for ripeness.

Gently pinch the pear’s neck with your thumb and index finger (pointer finger). If it yields to gentle pressure, it’s good to go! 

For more information about pear varieties and ripeness, check out these posts: No Bake Pear Cheesecake and Pear Rice Pudding with Maple.

How to prepare pears for poaching?

1. Ensure pears are ripe! 
2. Slice about 1/4-inch off the bottom of pear to create a flat, stable surface. 
3. Use a corer, melon baller or measuring teaspoon to core pear (meaning: remove seeds and hard bits).
4. Use a peeler or knife to peel skin off pear, leaving stem intact.

Pear Poaching Liquid

Pears can be poached in a variety of liquids:  juice or cider, infused water, liquor or wine!

For this recipe, the pears are poached in a sweet mixture of water, sugar, honey, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean. 

The pears gently simmer in the poaching liquid until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Once removed from heat, the pears are allowed to remain in the poaching liquid.

To strengthen the pears’ structure while also infusing more flavor, the pears remain submerged in the poaching liquid overnight in the fridge.

Once the pears have been strained, the poaching liquid may be used for other applications such as:

• Reduce the liquid to create a sweet syrup to drizzle over yogurt, oatmeal, or pancakes. 
• Use to the poaching liquid to sweetened teas or coffee.
• It is an excellent addition to mulled ciders or mulled wines! 
• Poaching liquid can also be used to moisten layer cake during assembly and frosting. 

What is a cartouche? Is it really necessary?

Cartouche is a homemade parchment paper lid. It sounds fancy, but it’s really easy to make.

(I first learned about this in culinary school and it really does make a world of a difference!)

Cut out a round of parchment paper that will fit inside pot. Cut a smaller round in the center to allow for controlled evaporation. 

The bigger the center hole, the more evaporation. And, the smaller the center hole, the slower the evaporation.

The cartouche prevents the pears from drying out by keeping them submerged in the poaching liquid. As the poaching liquid simmers and cooks, the cartouche also prevents too much liquid from evaporating. 

This technique is great for poaching fish and braising meats.

A cartouche is different from a standard lid because it allows steam to escape.

How to assembly puff pastry pears:

1. Remove chilled pears from poaching liquid. Allow to pears to drain on paper-towel lined plate.
2. Brush pear all over with egg wash.
3. Cover bottom of pear with a square piece of puff pastry. Encase body of pear with strips of puff pastry, leaving the stem exposed.

*If you need to use more than one puff pastry strip, use the egg wash as a glue to attach new strip to previous strip. 

Lightly brush exposed puff pastry with egg wash before baking. This will ensure the puff pastry bakes up flakey and golden brown on the side. 

Give pears ample space to allow to air flow during baking. Also, rotate baking pan midway through baking to ensure even cooking. 

Allow baked pear puff pastry to slightly cool (about 5 minutes) before serving. 

Serving Suggestions: 

Overtime, the puff pastry will soak up the liquids of the pear causing it to soften and lose its crispiness.

As such, this poached pear puff pastry is best served warm, fresh from the oven.

For extra sweetness, drizzle the plated dessert with honey or a dust with powdered sugar. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a decadent touch!

NOTE: Poached pears can be stored in the fridge for up to three days before serving. Assemble and wrap the pears in puff pastry just before baking.