• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • twigg studios

    a british baking blog

    • Home
    • BLOG
    • WORKSHOPS
    • SHOP
    • PORTFOLIO
    • Contact
    • hire me
    • ABOUT ME
    • NEWSLETTER
    September 14, 2021

    Poached pear pies

    baking, recipe, sweet

    poached pear pies

    Poached pear pies, such a fun dessert to serve friends. I loved the shape of them.

    Jump to Recipe

    The pears are poached with amaretto and honey and stuffed with marzipan, then they are covered in pastry and baked until golden.

    We love to serve them warm with some salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.

    You can use chocolate or anything you fancy to stuff them with, i used marzipan to emphasise the almond flavour of the amaretto.

    • poached pear pies
    • pear pies baked

    It was so fun to make them, i love to create creative pies, you can see some of them on my Instagram account here. Usually i make apple ones stuffed with raisins and brown sugar, based on some apple dumplings that my nan used to make.

    she served them with caramel sauce so that is why i eat these in the same way.

    I love the combo of the warm pie and caramel and the cold ice cream.

    Such a sweet dessert to end a meal. Because they are so sweet i add some salt to the caramel to balance it out a bit, they are also yummy with chocolate instead of marzipan.

    baked poached pear pie

    Assembling the pear pies

    They are easier to assemble than they look, but you need to be gentle and not stretch the dough as this can cause tension and cause them to crack when baking. Allow them to chill and rest before baking.

    I used a mix of conference and bosc pears. The pears i used were very ripe. Poach them until they are soft, but not too soft as they will be baked and soften further.

    • poached pear pie prep
    • poached pear pie prep
    • poached pear pie prep
    • pie prep
    • pie prep
    • pie prep
    • pies
    • pies
    • pies
    • pies
    • pies
    • pear pie
    • pear pie
    pear pie prep

    Tips before you start

    • I find it is best to poach the pears the night before and chill them in the fridge in the poaching liquid.
    • You can poach them with any poaching recipe you like.
    • When assembling the pears in the pastry, carefully drape the top layer of pastry over and try not to stretch it. Then shape it around the pear to form the pear shape. I find that rolling a larger piece of dough than you need will help with this, so that is why i have included a recipe for a large batch of dough. You can freeze any left over dough.
    • Place the pies on a lined baking tray and cover them and chill them in the fridge before baking
    • Make a few small holes around the edges to allow steam to escape
    • To make the leaves place them on to the pears in a 3d shape, and you can add small balls of rolled up dough underneath so they keep their shape.
    • Add some salt to the caramel sauce you use to balance the sweetness. You can make it or buy it.
    • Use chocolate or Nutella if you dont like marzipan, or what ever you fancy.
    • This works well with apples, or i have made peach ones see here
    • For a Christmas version i poached apples and pears in mulled wine and stuffed them with mince pie filling. See the poaching recipe for that version here
    • I used scales to weigh the ingredients in grams for the pastry rather than using cups. This was so i could share a more accurate recipe with you. Because egg sizes vary in different countries and some flour brands absorb liquid better than others i find this is the safest way for me to share it.
    • They can be assembled in advance and left covered on a lined baking tray to chill in the fridge over night.
    baked poached pear pie

    Poached pear pies

    marzipan stuffed amaretto poached pear pies, served with caramel sauce and ice cream.
    Great to serve friends at a dinner party or special occasion.
    serve warm with caramel sauce and ice cream
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine european
    Servings 8

    Ingredients
      

    For the poached pears

    • 4 Ripe pears like conference or bosc pears
    • 250 ml Amaretto 1 cup
    • 400 ml water
    • 4 tbsp sugar
    • 4 tbsp honey
    • 2 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 vanilla bean pod

    Pastry

    • 440 g Plain flour
    • 220 g cold unsalted butter
    • 2 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tbsp water as needed

    extras

    • 1 beaten egg
    • demerara sugar for sprinkling
    • 100 grams marzipan

    Instructions
     

    Poaching the pears

    • Add the water, amaretto, sugar, lemon juice and honey in a pan. slice the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds and add those and the pod into the poaching liquid. (use a smaller pan so the liquid covers the pears)
    • Peel the pears and add them into the liquid and simmer until tender. you want them to be soft, but not too soft. depending on how ripe they are it can take between 10-25 minutes until the pears begin to soften (as they will then be baked they dont need to be as soft as if you were serving them on their own) Very overly ripe pears will take around 10 minutes, otherwise it will take closer to 25 minutes for whole pears. Leaving them to cool in the poaching liquid means they will continue to cook slightly.
    • Leave the pears to cool down completely, These can be made in advance and left to chill in the poaching liquid over night in the fridge. Chilling them in the poaching liquid over night in the fridge means it will also infuse them with more flavour.
      Alternatively if making on the same day, remove from the liquid and chill on a plate until cold.

    Make the pastry

    • Mix the flour, sugar and salt together. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour until it resembles a fine crumb. Add the eggs and mix in. Then add the water a bit at a time until it makes a soft dough. depending on the size of the eggs and the brand of your flour you may need to add more, so judge it and add as much as needed until the dough comes together into a soft dough. I will be around 1 or 2 tbsp.
    • Press the dough into a large flat disk and cover in plastic wrap and chill. See step by step assembly photos in the post above
    • Slice the pears in half and remove the cores with a spoon. Roll small balls of marzipan and add these into the holes.
    • Cut the dough into four, Roll out one portion of the dough and place one of the pear halves on top to one side. (see images)
      Cut around the pear leaving a small lip around the edge. brush around the edge with a beaten egg then cut a larger piece of pastry to cover the top. Drape the pastry over gently with out stretching it and press it around the pear. Cut around the edge leaving a small lip of pastry, turn pears over and gently tuck the the lip underneath so you can't see it. (see assembly photos above)
    • Make some leaves by rolling out some more pastry and cutting it with a knife or a cookie cutter. Then make a stem and attach it. My tip to shape the leaves in a way that they dont fall flat in the oven is to roll up small balls of dough and add them underneath the leaf.
    • Chill covered on a lined tray in the fridge for least 30 minutes to rest. Longer if you wish.
    • Pre heat the oven to 180c 350f
    • Brush with beaten egg and make a some small air holes around the edge. sprinkle some demerara sugar and bake for approx. 35 minutes or until golden. Some may crack, I found that the ones that had time to rest in the fridge and had a few little air holes to allow the steam to escape didn't.
    • Serve with warm caramel sauce and ice cream. you can use store brought caramel sauce and heat it in a pan, or make your own.
    Keyword amaretto, pear, pear pie, poached pear
    poached pears

    You might also like

    • Caramel apple pie

    • mac and cheese with beer and butternut squash and roasted chestnut rosemary crumbs

    • crepe cake

      Orange blossom amaretto crepe cake

    baking, pastry, pear pies, pears, poached pears

    SIGN UP TO GET MY NEWSLETTER

    Reader Interactions

    OLDER
    NEWER

    3 Comments

    1. Sandhy says

      December 26, 2021 at 1:48 am

      5 stars
      These were perfect. I poached in a mulled wine for Christmas. The pastry was perfect.

      • twiggstiudios says

        January 1, 2022 at 7:48 pm

        i bet that was wonderful x

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi there, I'm Aimee

    A food and photography lover. Welcome to Twigg studios. If you would like to find out more about me then head to my bio.

    LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

    Sign up for my free visual storytelling guide

    Categories

    • baking (69)
    • cake (25)
    • dinner (12)
    • pasta (10)
    • photography (1)
    • recipe (172)
    • sweet (44)
    • tips (6)
    • Travel (6)
    • Uncategorized (827)

    On the cover of Where woman cook

    Visit Twiggstudios's profile on Pinterest.

    Recent Posts

    • A weekend at The lost music hall with Unique homestays
    • Beetroot rose tart
    • Chimney cakes Kürtöskalács
    • Gingerbread choux bun wreath
    • Brown butter gingerbread and edible cookie box

    Instagram Slider

    • Making some pasta and had to take a moment to appreciate these beautiful eggs. I love all the different colour shells. The sun is out today and it’s wonderful, it really feels like spring. I hope you are having a wonderful week. #eggs #seasonalsimplicity #flatlaystyle #still_life_gallery #hautecuisines #foodfluffer #foodphotography #onvtable #f52grams #bonappetit
    • An old shot from this time a few years ago. I’m so excited that the warm spring sunshine is back, as in the evening the light is so beautiful. It makes the most mundane of things like this amaretto biscotti dough look magical. I find that I am exhausted by the time it’s shining perfectly on the table recently though. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to create with it soon as I love harsh light. Pablo has got into the habit of waking me up at a silly time in the morning. By the evening I feel like I
    • I have been eating as much wild garlic as I can while the season lasts. It’s such a yummy addition to most of the meals I have been making. I just chop a handful up and add it in. I need to go back and visit this spot with my camera and get another photo as it’s in flower now and looks really beautiful. I usually love to make a pie with it, so that’s my next plan. The flavour gets less intense once it has flowered so you might find you need to add more. I collected a big
    • I haven’t made Ukrainian paska bread before, but I have seen it shared at Easter time each year and thought how delicious it looked. Often it is made in tall deep tins, but I don’t have any tins like that. I saw some smaller braided ones online, so I decided to give that a go. My attempt reminds me of a basket. The dough is similar to a broiche and is made with milk, eggs, butter and sugar. This loaf is flavoured with orange and sultanas that I soaked in the orange juice. It smelt so wonderful baking in the
    • British Strawberries, Toile de Jouy and a funky plate I found for £2.50 in a charity shop. The beginnings of a vin santo and strawberry parfait/tiramisu number. I hope your week is going well. #strawberries #seasonalsimplicity #flatlatfood #toiledejouy #hauecuisines #foodfluffer
    • I baked this lemon meringue topped mascarpone cheesecake at the weekend, and I have to say it was so delicious, I ate quite a few slices. It was so light and airy and the tartness of the lemon curd on the top went so well with the creamy mascarpone cheesecake layer. I can’t wait to share the recipe, but I will make it again just to check that I have the quantities and timings right. It’s a baked cheesecake, but a really easy one, baked at a low temperature. I thought I would try a different shot than usual, it
    • An old favourite from last year at @her_dark_materials house. I can’t wait to go and visit again. Ros has the most beautiful garden full of borage. It’s always a joy to cook with it. I love it’s pretty shape and colour. I haven’t baked or photographed much recently so I have nothing new to share. I had planned to make a carrot cake but the time seemed to disappear. I feel a bit lost at the moment and don’t know what to share on here. I have enjoyed experimenting with video, but I feel confused what part of a recipe
    • Leek and potato Galette experiment for dinner the other day. I wasn’t really sure how this would pan out, but it was a yummy one. It was prettier in my imagination than in real life though. It was a nutty walnut pastry (I need to work on that as my recipe is better baked in a tin as it’s really short and crumbly) with a layer of cheesy béchamel sauce. then I cooked the leeks in some sage butter, and sautéed the thinly sliced potato with some leek and garlic and arranged them on top like a flowers. then baked
    • Hope you had an ‘egg’cellent weekend. sorry I couldn’t help myself. It’s a bank holiday here in the U.K. so I spent the afternoon at the beach with my brothers and our dogs. I’m exhausted now, it must be the sea air. I hope your week has started well. I thought I would dig this old photo out from a few years ago when I was in Australia with @georgie_dolling and @joefilshie #easter #still_life_nature #still_life_gallery #seasonalsimplicity #chasinglight #eggs #lifeandthyme #verilymoment #springtime #naturephotography
    • Sharing an old photo from a few years ago in Provence, because I like it. Such fond memories of that week. That floor was crying out to be photographed. I love anything lemon flavoured, it’s such a delicious fruit. It’s one of my favourite things to bake with. Citrus season is so colourful, I’m sad it’s almost coming to an end. What is your favourite citrus fruit? I have a few beautiful Sicilian lemons at the moment, I’m going to use them to remake the cheesecake to check my recipe. The last one got demolished so quickly. I hope you
    • Pablo waiting for his cheese dog biscuits. My brothers dog Ralph came to stay over Easter, so on Sunday we made dog biscuits together. I couldn’t get a photo of them both together as they were moving around too much I thought it might end up in disaster but it was really fun. The recipe I used was from @theartoftreat beautiful treat book. it is full of really fun recipes for dogs. I have been wanting to bake from it since Natalia kindly sent me a copy. I highly recommend it, These biscuits were a big hit with them and
    • Elderflower season. I love their heady musky scent. I always look forward to this time of year. I went out and picked a basket of them yesterday and I have been baking with them today. I was inspired to take some quick photos of them in the basket. There are so many things that you can do make them. I will share the recipe of what I made soon. I did a video for it, but it takes me forever to edit as my computer is so slow I hope that you will have a lovely weekend. #elderflowers #basketbythedoor #edibleflowers
    • I hope you are having a relaxing weekend. This photo from a few weeks ago sums up my Sunday mood. Lounging around eating yummy things. I spent yesterday making a new recipe video, I will share it tomorrow. It involves roasted strawberries and creme fraiche. I’m quite excited about it, it feels a bit different to my other videos. I must admit that I am enjoying learning something new. I steered clear of video for so long. I still have so much to learn but it’s nice to try new things, even if posting it here is like posting into
    • An old photo from a trip to puglia a few years ago. I’m sharing it again today as I had a dream about it last night. In it I was there eating Taralli. Those little crackers are so addictive, have you tried them? Most of my dreams involve food I have eaten or want to eat. My jaw hit the floor when walked into this place. I especially loved this corner. that beautiful sink and the curved ceilings!. I have a bit of a soft spot for kitchens and I thought you might enjoy seeing it as well. This kitchen
    • The last slice. Lemon meringue cheesecake recipe. Base 200g digestive biscuits (or any you like) 75g butter, plus a little for the tin Cheesecake layer 250g mascarpone 200g cream cheese 90g double cream 2 eggs 2 yolks (save egg whites for meringue in a clean bowl) 80g caster sugar Zest of 1 lemon 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste Curd Topping Juice of 2 lemons Zest of one 1 whole egg 1 yolk 65g caster sugar 45g butter Pinch of salt Meringue (approx) 60 egg white 120 g caster sugar Line a 20cm springform cake tin Preheat the oven to 180c
    • Have you been busy in the kitchen making any Easter themed bakes? I wish I had chance to make some more delicious breads like this Ukrainian paska bread and some more flowery hot cross buns (swipe to see them), but I have been dog sitting this weekend. I did get to enjoy a shop bought hot cross bun for good Friday yesterday though. It’s been so lovely to see all your flowery hot cross buns. I had wanted to attempt baking some other European Easter breads on the lead up to Easter, there are so many. l wanted to try
    • I have not baked a cake since Christmas, it seems very unlike me. I used to make lots of cakes. I thought you might miss seeing them so here’s one of my favourites I made with @her_dark_materials a while ago. I loved how pretty it was with the wild strawberries from her garden. Ros shared her photo of it again the other day and I thought I would do the same. I really fancy baking one, especially now British strawberries are coming into season. It will probably be something smaller though as it’s just the two of us. I have
    • Elderflowers infusing in milk from my last recipe. I had originally planned to make a panna cotta with it, but then changed my mind and did the clafoutis. A few of you asked questions about what you can do with elderflowers so here are some suggestions. You can make a cordial or syrup, this is the most popular thing to make. It’s really easy, you will find lots of recipes for it online. The cordial can be used in so many things. It would be hard to list them all but here are a few. To flavour cakes, frostings, bakes.
    • Back in March we had a little weekend escape with @uniquehomestays We stayed at “the lost music hall” hidden in the south hams valley in Devon. Forgotten for years it had been reclaimed by nature, before being lovingly restored. The music room, complete with its very own Piano takes up the whole of the bottom floor. The house was enormous, I felt quite tiny wondering around it. The place was absolutely beautiful. Oak parquet floors and panelled walls gleam from the sun coming through the large windrows. You know I love a kitchen, what do you think of this one?
    • I scrolled back and realised I hadn’t shared my frankendessert from the other week. A science experiment really, A cheesecake baked inside a pavlova. I wanted to see if it was possible Turns out it is, but I need to work out a few creases. Apparently it’s world baking day, I had no idea until a moment ago. There are so many different days for things it’s hard to keep up . Though to be honest, I wasn’t actually sure what day of the week it was until a moment ago either. I thought it was Wednesday . I didn’t
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

    Visit Twiggstudios's profile on Pinterest.

    Recent Posts

    • A weekend at The lost music hall with Unique homestays
    • Beetroot rose tart
    • Chimney cakes Kürtöskalács
    • Gingerbread choux bun wreath
    • Brown butter gingerbread and edible cookie box

    HELP

    • HOME
    • ABOUT ME
    • CONTACT ME