Pear And Amaretti Turnovers Recipes

ROASTED PEARS WITH AMARETTI AND AMARETTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Mix Amaretto and vinegar in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Put pears, cut sides down, in dish.
• Roast pears 15 minutes. Add water and roast until pears are tender but still hold their shape, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Arrange pears, cut sides up, on a platter and spoon pan juices over them. Sprinkle with half of cookie crumbs, then baste with pan juices. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs and serve warm or at room temperature.

BAKED PEARS WITH AMARETTI FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Using melon baller or small spoon, core each pear half, leaving 1 1/2-inch-diameter cavity. Arrange 8 pear halves, cut side up, in prepared baking dish. Puree remaining 2 halves in processor. Place 1/2 cup puree in medium bowl (reserve any remaining puree for another use). Mix cookie crumbs and yolk into puree in bowl. Mound filling in pear cavities.
• Combine 6 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice and butter in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Spoon syrup over pears.
• Bake pears until tender, basting occasionally with syrup in dish, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.)
• Whip cream with liqueur and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Serve pears with whipped cream.

AMARETTO PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Butter six 1-¼ cup custard cups, ramekins, or giant muffin tins.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Add brown sugar and honey; cook over low heat for about 2 minutes until mixture no longer separates.
• Divide mixture evenly between prepared dishes.
• Cut each pear into 12 wedges and place 4 wedges in the bottom of each dish; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat remaining 6 tablespoons butter until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
• Combine milk and Amaretto in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, then half of the liquid, beating well after each addition.
• Repeat until all ingredients are combined.
• Pour batter into the six prepared dishes, smoothing the top.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from oven and place on a rack for 10 minutes.
• Carefully flip each dish over onto serving plates to remove from dish.
• Serve immediately with lightly sweetened cream and toasted almond slices.

APPLE AND PEAR TURNOVERS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, bring apple juice and maple syrup to a simmer over medium heat. Split vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape seeds from the center into skillet; add bean. Cook until liquid has reduced slightly, 1-2 minutes. Add apples and pears; cook and stir until fruit is just tender, 7-9 minutes. Remove from heat; add lemon zest and juice. Cool completely. Remove vanilla bean pods., Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry sheets. Roll each sheet into a 12-inch square; cut each sheet into 4 equal squares. Spoon 1/4 cup apple mixture diagonally over half of each square to within 1/2 in. of edges. Moisten pastry edges with water. Fold one corner over filling to the opposite corner, forming a triangle; press edges with a fork to seal. , Transfer to greased baking sheets. Brush tops of pastries with beaten egg; prick tops with a fork. If desired, combine coarse sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pastries. Bake until golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature., Freeze option: Freeze pastries in freezer containers. To use, reheat pastries on an ungreased baking sheet in a preheated 350° oven until heated through, 5-7 minutes.

PEAR AND AMARETTI TURNOVERS

Steps:

• Combine pears, sugar and brandy in large bowl. Toss to coat.
• Draw one 4 x 4-inch pear shape and one 4 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch pear shape on parchment paper. Using scissors, cut out shapes.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out 1 pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square. Using 4 x 4-inch parchment template, cut out 6 pear shapes from pastry. Transfer pear-shaped pastries to baking sheet, spacing evenly.
• Sprinkle half of crushed cookies over pastries, leaving 1/2-inch border. Arrange pear slices over crushed cookies. Sprinkle remaining cookies over pears. Roll out second pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 14 1/2-inch square. Using 4 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch parchment template, cut out 6 pear shapes from pastry. Brush edges of pastries on baking sheet with water. Arrange larger pear-shaped pastries atop pears, pressing pastry edges together to adhere. Press edges with fork to seal. Using skewer, poke small hole in top of each turnover to allow steam to escape. Press 1 almond sliver in tip of each turnover to represent stem. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush turnovers with egg. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)