Pear Pockets Recipes

ALMOND, PEAR AND CHERRY POCKET PIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
• Lightly flour your work surface. Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet at a time and roll each into a 10 by 15-inch rectangle. Using a ruler, cut each into 2 (5 by 15-inch) rectangles, then cut each rectangle into 5 (5 by 3-inch) rectangles. Transfer the 20 rectangles on to the baking sheet and chill in the fridge until cold.
• Peel, halve and core the pears, and then cut them into 1/4-inch thick slices. Toss them with the almonds, cherries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and almond extract.
• Remove the rectangles from the fridge, place 5 of them on a new baking sheet and evenly spoon half the fruit mixture onto them, leaving a little bit of a border all around. Beat the egg and lightly brush the borders. Lay 5 more rectangles of dough over the filling. Use a fork to press them gently sealed. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Brush the tops with the beaten egg. Cut 3 vents, about 1/2-inch long, in the top of each pie. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake, rotating once, until the crust is golden and you see the juices bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the pies on a cooling rack at least 20 minutes before serving.

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 WALDORF PITAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine pears, celery, grapes and walnuts. In another bowl, whisk yogurt, mayonnaise and poppy seeds. Add to pear mixture; toss to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. , Line pita halves with lettuce; fill each with 2 tablespoons pear mixture.