<H2 ALIGN = CENTER>Pear and Hazelnut 'Pasties'</H2>
<P ALIGN = RIGHT><I>Serves 4</I></P>
<H3 ALIGN = CENTER><U>Ingredients</U></H3>
For the Pears
4 small pears, peeled, halved and cored
╜ lemon
1 vanilla pod (optional)
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
600 ml (1 pint) water
225 g (8 oz) caster sugar
For the Pasties
350 450 g (12-16 oz) Puff Pastry or frozen
175 g (6 oz) Hazelnut Frangipane (about 2 quantity) using ground hazelnuts
2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
1 egg, beaten
Optional Extras to Serve
Rich Chocolate Sauce
Chocolate Sabayon
Anglaise (Fresh Custard) Sauce or Chocolate Custard
<H3 ALIGN = CENTER><U>Method</U></H3>
Pre-heat the oven to 200░C/400░F/gas 6.
Rub the pear halves with the lemon, then place in a pan with the remaining lemon juice, the vanilla pod and cinnamon stick if using, the water and sugar. Cover with greaseproof paper and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, then remove from the heat. Leave the pears to cool in the syrup to allow them to finish cooking.
The next stage is to roll out the puff pastry into 4 x 20 cm (8 in) diameter circles. If using chocolate chips, add them to the hazelnut frangipane. Also, if it's plum, cherry or any red fruit you are going to use in this pasty, I always spoon some jam of the fruit flavour on the pastry before sitting the frangipane on top. Cherry jam can also be used with this pear recipe.
Divide the hazelnut frangipane between the pastry circles, spreading it on one half only and also leaving a 1-2 cm (2-3 in) border to seal the pasty. The pears can now be placed on top, allowing 2 halves per portion. These should be placed core-side down, leaving a good domed top to fold the pastry over.
Beat the egg and brush around the border. The pastry can now be folded over and sealed. To shape the edge, this can be twisted as for a classic pasty or marked with a fork or perhaps cut to give a fluted finish. Brush the pasties with the remaining beaten egg to give them a shiny finish. These can now be chilled to rest for 10 minutes before cooking. If you are making them in advance - and you can even make them the day before - do not glaze them until you are ready to cook.
Bake the pasties in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes. If they seem to be colouring too quickly, then simply cover lightly with foil or greaseproof paper and continue to cook. They're now ready to eat. Serve with pouring or clotted cream.
Variation
The pasties will also work very well with tinned pear halves. Of course they don't have quite the same strength or taste as fresh pears, but they still eat well.
