Poached Pear Puff Pastry with walnut filling and a sticky poaching liquid. Reminiscent of baklava with a poached pear to knock it out of the park!
The pears are poached in Triple Sec, vanilla and cinnamon. Then the poaching liquid is reduced with saffron to create a distinctive elegant taste. Serve with vanilla ice cream on top for an absolutely unforgettable experience!
Jump to:
Why We Love This Recipe
- Baklava Meets Elegance: By tucking a fragrant, spiced walnut filling right at the base and encasing each tender fruit in golden, flaky pastry, this dessert delivers all the comforting, honey-nut richness of traditional baklava paired with a stunning poached pear.
- Show-Stopping Presentation: While it looks like something straight out of a upscale bistro pastry case, it is surprisingly approachable to put together. Serving these with a glossy reduction syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes for an unforgettable finish to any dinner party.
- Flavour in Every Layer: Poaching the pears in a citrus and vanilla-infused liquid, then reducing that same syrup down with a pinch of saffron creates a deeply complex, glossy glaze that infuses the fruit and pastry with distinct, aromatic warmth.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry
- Mint
- Ice cream
Poached Pears
- Bosc pears
- Water
- Sugar
- Triple Sec
- Vanilla bean paste
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon sticks
- Lemon
- Saffron
Nut filling
- Walnuts
- Milk
- Honey
- Mint
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
Egg Wash
- Egg
- Water
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Prepare the poaching liquid
In a large saucepan add the water, sugar, triple sec, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks and lemon. Bring to a low boil over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Wash, peel, and halve pears. Using a melon baller or measuring spoon, scoop out the seeds of each pear half. Using a paring knife, slice out the fibrous core completely. Then, cut the stem from each pear and split it into two pieces; set them aside. You'll use these halves later to place on top of the puff pastry before baking for a polished presentation.
Poach the Pears
Add in the pears to the saucepan and cover with a round piece of parchment paper with a small hole cut in the center. (This step ensures the pears stay under the water.) Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
When a paring knife inserted into the pears meets no resistance, remove the pairs to a plate to cool.
Add the saffron to the poaching liquid and continue to cook until the sauce is reduced by half or more and begins to thicken. Set aside.
Prepare the nut filling
Place all the nut filling ingredients into a food processor and pulse to get a rough paste. Use a spatula to push the filling down the sides and pulse more until a slightly softer consistency is achieved.
Fill the holes in each of the pear halves with the nut filling and spread a little of the filling over the entire flat/cut side of the pears.
Prepare the puff pastry
In a small bowl, beat the egg and water to make the egg wash. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry and cut it into 6 rectangles, which are slightly bigger than the length & width of the pears. Add a half of a pear (flat/cut side down) in the middle of each pastry rectangle. Then, using a paring knife, score around the pear. Add a piece of the stem under the top of the pear.
Brush the egg wash over each of the puff pastries. Then brush the reduced poaching liquid on the pears.
Place the pear pastries in the freezer for 20 minutes. This is a crucial step for success. Puff pastry needs to be chilled, when going into the hot oven in order for it to rise properly. Chilling the pastry ensures the buttery layers remain separate and flaky.
Preheat the oven to 400Ā°F with a rack in the top ā of the oven.
Brush a little more of the poaching liquid on top of the pears and bake at 400Ā°F for about 25 minutes until the pastry has risen and browned. Brush the pears and pastry with the poaching liquid and bake until the glaze is set. 2 to 3 minutes more.
Remove the pastries from the oven and glaze the pears with the poaching liquid one more time.
Garnish & Serve
Once cooled, add a mint leaf just below the steam on each pastry and serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy.
Watch how this recipe was made here.
Puff Pastry Tip
- Work quickly. If the puff pastry starts getting warm it becomes harder to use and will not puff up as nicely. Simply place pastry back into the fridge for 5-10 minutes, then continue assembling.
FAQ
A: You can poach the pears and make the nut filling the day before, store both in the fridge. For best results prepare the puff pastry, assemble the tarts and place in the fridge for up to 1 hour or 20 minutes in the freezer just before baking.
A: You can definitely leave it out.
A: No, you definitely don’t have to use Triple Sec. If you’d like an alcohol-free alternative, you can substitute it with equal parts fresh orange juice along with a few strips of orange zest (and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice for brightness).
If you still want to use alcohol but don’t have Triple Sec on hand, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Bourbon, or Brandy work wonderfully here!
Love This Poached Pear Recipe? Try These Next”
š Recipe
Poached Pear Puff Pastry
Ingredients
ā”ļøNote on Scaling the Recipe:Ā When scaling to 2X or 3X, the light grey ingredient notes and the instructions remain unchanged. Please adjust as needed.
- 1 sheet puff pastry 225 g
- Mint leaves for garnish
- Vanilla ice cream
Poached Pears
- 3 Bosc pears
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- Ā½ cup Triple Sec
- Ā¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ā teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Ā½ lemon
- Ā½ teaspoon saffron
Nut Filling
- Ā½ cup ground walnuts
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Ā½ tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- ā teaspoon cinnamon
- Ā¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg Wash
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 teaspoon water
Instructions
Prepare the Poaching Liquid
- In a large saucepan add the water, sugar, triple sec, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks and lemon. Bring to a low boil over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Wash, peel, and halve pears. Using a melon baller or measuring spoon, scoop out the seeds of each pear half. Using a paring knife, slice out the fibrous core completely. Then, cut the stem from each pear and split it into two pieces; set them aside. You'll use these halves later to place on top of the puff pastry before baking for a polished presentation.
Poach the Pears
- Add in the pears to the saucepan and cover with a round piece of parchment paper with a small hole cut in the center.(This step ensures the pears stay under the water.) Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- When a paring knife inserted into the pears meets no resistance, remove the pairs to a plate to cool.
- Add the saffron to the poaching liquid and continue to cook until the sauce is reduced by half or more and begins to thicken. Set aside.
Prepare the Nut Filling
- Place all the nut filling ingredients into a food processor and pulse to get a rough paste. Use a spatula to push the filling down the sides and pulse more until a slightly softer consistency is achieved.
- Fill the holes in each of the pear halves with the nut filling and spread a little of the filling over the entire flat/cut side of the pears.
Prepare the Puff Pastry
- In a small bowl beat the egg and water to make the egg wash. Set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry and cut it into 6 rectangles, which are slightly bigger than the length & width of the pears. Add a half of a pear (flat/cut side down) in the middle of each pastry rectangle. Then, using a paring knife, score around the pear. Add a piece of the stem under the top of the pear.
- Brush the egg wash over each of the puff pastries. Then brush the reduced poaching liquid on the pears.
- Place the pear pastries in the freezer for 20 minutes. This is a crucial step for success.Ā Puff pastry needs to be chilled, when going into the hot oven in order for it to rise properly. Chilling the pastry ensures the buttery layers remain separate and flaky.
- Preheat the oven to 400Ā°F with a rack in the top ā of the oven.
- Brush a little more of the poaching liquid on top of the pears and bake at 400Ā°F for about 25 minutes until the pastry has risen and browned. Brush the pears and pastry with the poaching liquid and bake until the glaze is set. 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Remove the pastries from the oven and glaze the pears with the poaching liquid one more time.
Garnish & Serve
- Once cooled, add a mint leaf just below the steam on each pastry and serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy.
Love this Recipe?
- We'd really appreciate your feedback! Please take a moment toĀ rate and review it below. Your thoughts help others and inspire us to keep creating delicious recipes.Ā Thank you!Ā -Ā James & ElaineĀ
Is there a way to prep this in advance? At what stage of the process could you prep up to before a dinner party and then finish at the time of?
Hi Sandra,
You can poach the pears and make the nut filling the day before, store both in the fridge. For best results prepare the puff pastry, assemble the tarts and place in the fridge for up to 1 hour or 20 minutes in the freezer just before baking.
Hope this helps, we would love to know how yours turned out!
Have a great day!
Elaine & James
I poached and baked this yum pastry / dessert – it came out brilliantly ! I wish there was a way to share a pic of what I had made.
Follow the recipe blindly – it’s easy and the results are delicious !
Thank you so much Atul!
Weāre thrilled to hear it turned out brilliantly for you. Thanks for tagging us on your IG video – you did a great job!
Have a terrific night!
Elaine & James
Simple to prepare with elegant looking results. Next time Iām adding cream cheese to the nut mixture stuffing.
~Marilyn in MN
Thank you so much, Marilyn!
Adding cream cheese to the nut mixture sounds like a delicious ideaāso rich and creamy!
Let us know how it turns out next time. š
Have a fantastic day!
Elaine & James
Such a wonderful recipe!!!
Hello Elena,
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for tagging us on IG, you pastries looked amazing!!
Have a fantastic day!
Elaine & James
I love this dessert! The poaching liquid made the house smell amazing and the dessert taste like it was from a restaurant. I did both ice cream and mascarpone and it was delish. I found that I maybe didnāt let them cool long enough before putting the decorative mint leaves on because they turned brown pretty quick from the heat. Overall it was really tasty and Iād make it again!
Hi Natalie,
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing that beautiful picture on IG with us! We’re thrilled to hear the poaching liquid filled your house with those warm, inviting aromas. And going with both ice cream and mascarpone? Love it! Great tip about letting the pears cool before adding the mintāsometimes they can be a bit sneaky with their heat. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!šāØ
Elaine & James
Can I skip the cinnamon?
Hello Esther,
Yes, you can skip the cinnamon. Omitting it will slightly alter the flavour profile, as the cinnamon contributes a warm, spiced note to the dish. You could substitute it with a different spice like cardamom or nutmeg, or simply rely on the other flavours (like ginger, apple cider, and maple syrup) to shine.
Hope this helps. If you try it, please come back to let us know your results!
Have a great day,
Elaine & James
I just made this today for friends that were in town . Absolutely delicious ! Everyone loved them!
Hi Brenda!
We are so thrilled to hear that these Poached Pear Puff Pastries were a hit with you and your friends! We really appreciate you stopping by to let us know!
Thank you and Happy New Year!š„
Elaine & James
Hi – a little confused about the external stem vs original. Are we saving the stems when we cut the pears?
Hi Mel,
Yes, that was a little confusing; thanks for bringing that to our attention!
In short, YES, you are saving the stems when you prepare the pears. Slice each stem in half so that each half pear will have one for garnish.
We’ve updated the instructions.
Hope this helps – have a great day!
Elaine & James
if you’re bringing these to someone’s home for dinner and making the same day..can you refrigerate after baking them and reward or just keep them room temp after baking and cooling and keep covered??
Hi Gail,
Great question! Once baked and cooled, these are best kept at room temperature for the day, loosely covered. If you prefer to make them ahead and reheat, you can refrigerate them, then rewarm in the oven at 350Ā°F for about 8ā10 minutes to crisp the pastry back up. Either way works; it just depends on whether you want them served slightly warm or at room temperature. For transporting, place them in a single layer in a shallow container (uncovered or lightly tented with foil) to prevent the pastry from becoming soft.
If you try this recipe, weād love to hear how it turns out!
Hope this helps š
Elaine & James
I made this wonderful recipe for my family to enjoy and to share with my baking group.
I am definitely not a big baker, but this wasnāt difficult to make, and the flavors were extra extraordinary, the vanilla paste, honey, nuts and mint is what makes the dish. The saffron just takes it over the top. The presentation and flavors are all in one perfect dessert.. I will definitely make this again.
Mireya, this comment made our day! š
Weāre so happy to hear it was a hit with your family and your baking group. You nailed it! The combination of vanilla, honey, nuts, mint, and saffron really does take it over the top. Thank you for sharing your beautiful creation with us on IG, and we canāt wait to see what you bake next! š
Have an amazing day!
Elaine & James
Your dessert looks amazing.
I have to try your way first. The second time, I will poach the pears on red wine and spices ( my favorite).
Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you Juliette!
Please let us know how it goes with both methods. We love to get feedback!
Wine-poached pears are delicious!
Have a great day!
Elaine & James
This looks great.
Do I have to use the triple sec?
Thanks
Hi Theresa,
No, you definitely don’t have to use Triple Sec. If you’d like an alcohol-free alternative, you can substitute it with equal parts fresh orange juice along with a few strips of orange zest (and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice for brightness).
If you still want to use alcohol but don’t have Triple Sec on hand, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Bourbon, or Brandy work wonderfully here!
Please come back and let us know what you end up using!
Have a great day š
Elaine & James