Brown Sugar Pear Puff Pastries

Servings: 10 servings

Time:

Ingredients:

4 sheets puff pastry (about 960g), thawed if frozen

1 large (56g) egg

5 medium (875g) pears, peeled, halved and cored

4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, melted

⅓ cup (71g) dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheets to flatten slightly. Using a paring knife and one of the pear halves as a guide, cut the pastry into 10 pear shapes slightly larger than the pear half itself. Place the puff pastry pieces on the prepared baking sheets.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the egg wash all over the pastry pieces, then poke all over with a fork.

4. Center a pear half, cut side down, on each prepared piece of pastry. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Place about 2 teaspoons of this mixture on top of each pear half and use your hands to pack it around the pear so it is almost entirely covered.

5. Bake until the pastries are golden brown and the pears are just tender when you pierce them with a fork, 20 to 22 minutes. Rotate the racks halfway through baking and baste the pears with any of the sugar mixture that falls onto the baking sheet. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.