Red Wine–Poached Pears in Puff Pastry with Chocolate and Caramel Sauce
recipe c/o Ajay Chopra
Ingredients
Ingredients:
2 Anjou pears
1 cup water
1 cup red wine
½ cup sugar
½ cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
4 cloves
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, halved
1 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
1 pack puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
½ cup caramel sauce
Preparation
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Core the pears, leaving the stems intact.
In a large pan, combine the water and wine and place over medium heat. Add the sugar, honey, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, vanilla, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, then add the pears and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the poached pears from the liquid, allowing the excess liquid to drip off. Blot the pears dry with paper towels, then stuff the hollowed-out cores with the chopped chocolate.
Cut the puff pastry into 1-inch-thick strips and wrap it around the pears. Place the pastry-wrapped pears on a baking sheet and brush them with the beaten egg.
Transfer the pears to the oven and bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes.
Warm the caramel sauce, drizzle it over the pears, and serve.
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