Recipe of the Day - Wrapped Pears with Vanilla Bean Sauce

I'm not going to lie - the only reason this dessert caught my eye is that earlier this afternoon, i was at Crate and Barrel and saw a giant pear that was supposed to serve as a table decoration. I thought it looked cool and for the rest of the day, I've had pear on the brains.

Lucky for us, the folks over at Pepperidge Farms, the geniuses behind the Goldfish Cracker, came up with this tasty little number - a pear wrapped in dough. It's good for you because it's fruit! (sort of...)

Happy Friday!


"It's Friday and I'm not feeling all that creative" Wrapped Pears with Vanilla Bean Sauce Recipe

Equipment:
Saucepan
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Mixing bowls
Wood spoon
Spatula
Baking sheet
Melon baller
Peeler

Ingredients:
3 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split
4 Bartlett or Bosc pears, cored and peeled*
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
cold water
Granulated sugar
fresh raspberry


Use a melon baller to core the pears from the bottom and remove the seeds. Peel the pears, leaving the stem intact. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear so that it will stand upright.
Heat the water, sugar, and vanilla bean in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the pears and cook for 10 minutes or until the pears are tender, turning occasionally. Remove the pears from the sugar mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the pears are cold.

Stir the cream into the sugar mixture. Cook and stir for 20 minutes or until the mixture boils and is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the sauce.

Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet crosswise into 8 (3/4-inch wide) strips. Brush the strips with the water and sprinkle with the sugar. For each pear, join 2 pastry strips by pressing the ends together. Wind 1 strip of pastry around each pear, tucking the end under the bottom of the pear. Place the wrapped pears onto the baking sheet. Loosely cover the wrapped pears with aluminum foil.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastries are golden. Spoon the vanilla sauce onto 4 plates. Top each with 1 pear and garnish with the raspberries.