Day 14 - Stuffed Baked Pear

This dessert was designed to bring some balance back to our lives. A sweet everyday is great, but even the person with the biggest sweetest tooth needs something a bit nutritious once in a while.

I'm having a bit of a pear revival and have been getting through quite a few of them lately. I thought I would try a variation on the mince pie theme and stuff a pear with some fruit soaked in alcohol (brandy & rum) and bake the lot in pastry...

When it came out of the oven, I wasn't sure if I had been a bit too health conscious and was tempted to add a caramel glaze to it, but actually it was really tasty. Pears are naturally very sweet & I drizzled the dessert with some of the alcohol juice from the fruit. This gave it a subtle flavour as you ate the pear at the top. Once you got to the pastry part, you reached the fruit which intensified the experience, the dessert just kept getting better :).

I'm getting a bit braver these days trying new recipes. I used to be a stickler for measuring amounts & religiously sticking to every word & I still follow recipes, but every now & then I like to try something new using what I already have in the cupboards. There's always that danger that it will turn out horribly but if you don't try you won't know!  

I feel like I should give you a proper recipe but as this was freestyled from left-overs in the kitchen I don't have exact quantities at all... Though I'm sure I can put something a little more scientific together if you ask nicely (that's just the kinda girl I am!)

How I did it...

I used
Left over fruit (currants, sultanas and raisins) that had been soaked in brandy and dark rum
Alcohol juice from the soaking fruits to drizzle on the cooked dessert
Ready rolled shortcrust pastry
Egg yolks to glaze the pastry
Pears (tall ones for dramatic effect)

1. Peel and core the pears leaving the stalk at the top.
2. Carefully fill the pears with the soaked fruit being careful not to damage the top of the pear (see picture above)
3. Cut squares out of the pastry approximately 3" and glaze with butter and the egg yolk.
4. Place the pastry squares into a muffin tin and put the pears in the middle (see picture above)
5. Bake for about 20 minutes at 

Thought For The Day

Take risks: if you win you will be happy; if you lose you will be wise. Author Unknown

Peace & Love

xx