Desserts: Honeyed Pears in Puff Pastry

Absolutaly tasty honeyed pears! Decoration for any celebratory table or for ordinary dinner with your family. Try it!

Ingredients

4 small pears
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cup honey
1 small lemon, halved
3 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)
6 to 8 whole cloves
1 vanilla bean
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Instruction:

1. Core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears; cut ¼ in. from the bottom of each to level if necessary.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon halves, cinnamon and cloves. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds; add bean and seeds to sugar mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; place pears on their sides in saucepan and poach, uncovered, for 18–22 minutes or until pears are almost tender, basting occasionally with poaching liquid.

3. Remove pears with a slotted spoon; cool slightly. Strain and reserve 1-½ cups poaching liquid; set aside.

4. Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into ½-in.-wide strips. Starting at the bottom of a pear, wrap a pastry strip around pear, adding additional strips until pear is completely wrapped in pastry. Repeat with remaining pears and puff pastry.

5. Transfer to a parchment-lined 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 400° for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Meanwhile bring reserved poaching liquid to a boil; cook until liquid is thick and syrupy, about 10–15 minutes. Place pears on dessert plates and drizzle with syrup. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.