Pears in overcoats
This ingenious, beehive-shaped dessert turns all the traditional components of a pear tart into something more spectacular. Dessert apples are also suitable for this treatment and the dried fruit and spice can be varied according to taste.
Ingredients
- 225g plain flour
- pinch salt
- pinch nutmeg, grated
- 100g butter
- 4 tbsp water, iced
- 4 pears
- 4 apricots, dried and chopped
- 4 prunes, stoned and chopped
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 1 egg, beaten
- 200ml double cream or natural yoghurt
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
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Step 2
Mix together the flour, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the butter and rub together, then the water to make a smooth dough. Cut into 4 and roll each out into 20cm squares.
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Step 3
Peel the pears and take out the core, with an apple corer if possible. Put each pear on each pastry square and fill the centre with the dried fruit.
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Step 4
Brush the edges of the squares with water and fold up around the pears, squeezing together at the top. Brush the seals with water and trim any excess pastry. Roll out the left-over pastry and cut into leaf shapes for decoration on the top.
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Step 5
Brush the entire parcel with the beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven at for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
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Step 6
Garnish with mint and serve hot with cream or natural yoghurt.
