Serving size: Serves 6
Cuisine type: Modern Australian
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Favourite flavours: Cakes/baking

Australian House & Garden recipe for baked pears in pastry with burnt caramel.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups (750ml) water
3 cups (750ml) white wine
2¾ cups (600g) caster sugar
2 vanilla beans, pods scraped
3 cinnamon sticks
Zest of 2 oranges and 2 lemons, in strips
3 star anise
6 Beurre Bosc pears, stems intact, peeled and cored
3 sheets good-quality puff pastry (such as Carême brand)
Egg wash (2 free-range eggs beaten with 50ml milk)

Glaze
½ cup loosely packed (90g)
dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) vincotto
Handful muscatels, to serve
¾ cup (180ml) fresh cream, to serve

METHOD

1 Place water, wine, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests and star anise in a large saucepan. Stir over low heat, until sugar has dissolved. Add pears and increase heat; bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cover with a piece of baking paper. Cook until pears are tender, about 30mins. Remove pears with a slotted spoon, strain and reserve poaching liquid. Set pears and liquid aside to cool.

2 Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Cut pastry into 2x50cm strips (press strips together to form the length if needed).

3 Place 1 pear on top of a pastry strip, 4cm from end, then wrap whole pear by spiralling towards the top, overlapping pastry as you work your way up. Repeat with remaining pears, then place on a lined baking tray and refrigerate at least 20mins. When chilled, brush a little egg wash over pastry and bake until golden, about 20mins.

4 To make glaze, place brown sugar, vincotto and 1/3 cup poaching liquid over medium heat. Gently swirl pan until a rich caramel smell is evident and sauce is thick and viscous, about 5-10mins. Remove from heat immediately and pour into a cool bowl.

5 Place muscatels in remaining poaching liquid for a few minutes to soften, then scatter around pears. Serve immediately with cream on the side.