Cinnamon & Sugar Baked Pears

Cinnamon & Sugar Baked Pears

with bourbon caramel sauce & almond whip cream

Oh Dessert! Fruit makes any dessert a million times better, especially when it is fresh fruit. It doesn’t get tastier than juicy Bosc pears baked in a flaky cinnamon and sugar pastry, then slavered in a decadent bourbon caramel sauce and topped with fluffy almond whipped cream. Talk about some major yumminess! This dessert is so easy to make when you do not have a lot of time, but want that wow factor for guests. It is a great Winter recipe, but works perfect in the Spring and Summer. It sounds overly sweet, but majority of the sweetness comes from the concentrated natural juices that emerge by baking the pears in the oven. They are able to take on a heightened and intense fruity taste that is bursting with flavor. It only gets better with the bourbon caramel sauce and whipped cream because honestly, who doesn’t like caramel or whipped cream? All of the flavors are able to meld together and create this rich flavor of perfection. Don’t have pears? Not to worry! Apples work just as well, just peel and core them and follow the same directions.

Directions:

1. Move oven racks to the lowest part of the oven.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Peel pears and slice a clean edge on the bottom so they stand up straight.
4. Cut puff pastry into long strips
5. Take strips of puff pastry and wrap around pears and then place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart.
6. In a separate bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar.
7. Egg-wash the wrapped pears with the egg and water.
8. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.
9. Bake for 45 minutes or until puff pasty is a golden brown.
10. While the pears are baking make the Almond Whipped Cream & Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
11. In a mixer beat on high the heavy whipping cream for about 8 minutes. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and almond extract. When stiff peaks form, remove from stand mixer and place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve.
12. Follow the directions from Food & Wine for the Bourbon Caramel Sauce recipe (I cut the recipe in half since the original made more than enough sauce. It has a really boozy/ sweet taste so you may want to cut the 1/4 c. of Bourbon even more. I would start with a shot glass worth).

To Assemble: Place baked pear on a plate. Drizzle with the caramel sauce and then top with a scoop of whipped cream. Serve Warm!