Brandied Pear Pie Poppers Recipes

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix 1/3 cup brown sugar with water and lemon juice together in an ungreased baking dish until sugar is dissolved. Arrange pear halves, core side down, in the dish, and baste with the sauce. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake pears in the preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until fork-tender but not mushy.
• Meanwhile, mix nuts together with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons brandy, and the yogurt; set aside. In a separate bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle in white sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons of brandy, or liqueur of choice, and gently whip a few strokes more.
• To serve, place one pear half in the center of each serving plate and fill core cavity with nut stuffing. Top with whipped cream. Serve warm.

BRANDY PEAR PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Divide dough in half so that one portion is slightly larger than the other; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until easy to handle., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, cook raisins in brandy for 13-15 minutes or until raisins are plump. Strain, reserving liquid. Set raisins aside., In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add the pears, lemon juice, reserved raisins and 1/2 teaspoon of reserved liquid., On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion of dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry even with edges. Add pear filling; dot with butter., Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Cover edges loosely with foil., Bake at 400° for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly. Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.

BRANDIED PEAR PIE POPPERS

Steps:

• Toss pears with lemon juice in a nonreactive bowl.
• Bring water and sugar to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan over high heat. Boil until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly. Pour over pears; stir in brandy. Chill, covered, 8 hours to overnight.
• Transfer pears to a small bowl using a slotted spoon. Bring pear liquid to a boil in a saucepan; cook until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 7 to 8 minutes. Add pears; return to a boil. Whisk cornstarch and water together. Stir in along with cinnamon. Return to a boil and boil exactly 1 minute. Transfer immediately to a bowl to stop cooking; let cool thoroughly.
• Set a baking stone, baking steel, or inverted baking sheet on center rack of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out 1 block of pie dough to a roughly 9x13-inch rectangle. Cut out twenty-four 2-inch rounds with a cookie or biscuit cutter or a small glass, and cut a small slit in the center of 12. Beat egg with water and kosher salt for the egg wash.
• Brush edge of each unvented round with egg wash. Add 2 teaspoons filling to the center and top with a vented round. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and firmly crimp edges with a fork. Brush with egg wash. Chill or freeze while repeating process with remaining dough and filling to make 12 more poppers.
• Set a baking sheet with poppers on the preheated stone; bake until deeply golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Whisk together milk and vanilla in a small bowl, then whisk in powdered sugar until glaze is smooth and very thick. Transfer to a pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag with a snipped-off corner. Drizzle glaze on each popper. Let glaze set up, about 30 minutes, before serving.

BRANDIED PEAR, PRUNE AND FIG PIE

Steps:

• For Crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter and cream cheese until coarse meal forms. With machine running, pour just enough water down feed tube to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)
• For Filling: Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Mix in pears, prunes and figs. Sprinkle brandy over and mix well. Let stand 15 minutes to allow juices to form.
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400° F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 14-inch-diameter round. Transfer to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish; gently press dough into place. Spoon filling into crust, mounding slightly in center. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 14-inch-diameter round. Drape dough over filling. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Press edges together to seal and fold under. Crimp edge decoratively. Brush top of crust (but not edge) with glaze. Cut several small slits in crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake pie until crust is golden brown and pears are tender when pierced through steam vents, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water, and add lemon juice. Peel pears as carefully and smoothly as possible, leaving stems attached. Place pears in water as they are peeled.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 3 quarts water in a large stockpot. Drain pears, and add to pot. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until just tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 30 minutes, depending on size and ripeness.
• Remove pears from liquid with a slotted spoon, and divide evenly among three quart jars.
• Raise heat under pot to high, and cook liquid until reduced to 2 cups, about 50 minutes. Remove from heat; strain liquid through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl. Divide the liquid evenly among the jars, and add about 1 cup brandy, or enough to cover pears, to each. Allow jars to cool, and screw on lids. Refrigerate for several weeks before eating to allow flavors to develop.