Recipe - Jelly-Filled Pears In Puff Pastry With Carame

SAUCE
1 1/3 cup Sugar
7 tablespoon Water
1 cup Whipping cream
1 tablespoon Calvados or other apple
brandy

PEARS
4 Small Bartlett pears (about
5 ounce ea), peeled
4 teaspoon Red currant jelly
1 pack (17 One fourth oz) frozen puff
pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1 Egg yolk, beaten to blend
(glaze)
Vanilla ice cream (opt)

FOR SAUCE: Stir sugar and water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat
until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup
turns deepamber color, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides
of pan with wet pastry brush to dissolve any sugar crystals. Remove from
heat. Carefully stir in cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Cool. Stir
in Calvados. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill).

FOR PEARS: Cut off top 1 One half inches from stem end of pears and reserve.
Core each pear through the top, leaving bottom intact. Spoon 1 teaspoon
jelly into hole in each pear. Replace stem end.

On work surface, roll out each pastry sheet to 18x15 inch rectangle. Cut
out four 8 inch rounds and four 2 inch rounds. Reserve scraps. Place pear
in center of each 8 inch pastry round. Gather pastry around each pear and
pinch pastry to hold in place (stem end will be exposed). Brush pastry with
egg glaze. Make hole in center of each two inch pastry round. Fit 1 round
over stem of each pear to form top. Press firmly against pastry bottom to
seal. Brush pastry top with egg glaze. Cut out 4 small leaves from pastry
scraps. Brush with egg glaze and place 1 leaf just below stem of each pear.
Refrigerate at least one hour and up to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter baking sheet. Place pears on prepared sheet
and bake until pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Rewarm caramel sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently. Spoon sauce
onto 4 plates. Place hot pear in center of each plate. Serve with scoops
of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Bon Appetit/May 94 Typed for you by Didi Pahl

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini