Pear Dumplings
I really wanted to make something different for this holiday season. Something that I may have thought challenging in the past and was too afraid to try.
While shopping at the grocery store last week, I came across the prettiest red pear. It looked (almost) too pretty to eat! The photographer in me just wanted an excuse to photograph it. If you know, you know- haha.
I wanted to find fun recipes using pears that made sense for our family but at the same time felt a little more fancy than the usual cobbler or pie.
I came across a ton of recipes for pear dumplings and I knew that’s what I had to make! The recipe I’m sharing today is a hybrid of other recipes I saw as well as tricks I concocted to speed up the process, enhance the flavor, and bake more beautifully.
Pear Dumplings
I n g r e d i e n t s
(For the Poached Pears)
2 bottles dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup vanilla extract
4 large pears peeled
For the Crust
2 packs refrigerated pie crust
For Finishing
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons water for egg wash
D i r e c t i o n s
Time to poach the pears! In a large pot combine white wine, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peeled pears. Lower to medium heat and cook for 20 to minutes, until pears are tender. Gently rotate pears so they cook evenly. Transfer each pear to a bowl, bring the poaching mixture to rapid boil, and reduce by half. Pour that mixture over the pears and refrigerate overnight.
Time to wrap them up! Roll out each pie crust (should have four discs). Use a pizza cuter to cut dough into triangles
Pro tip: use pear to determine correct triangle size!
Use leaf cookie cuter or knife to cut out as many leaf shapes as possible from the pastry scraps.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, mix sugar + cinnamon and set aside. Remove pears from poaching syrup and pat dry. Reduce (cook) syrup to about a cup for serving. It looks beautiful on the dish and tastes amazing!
Use a melon baller and start scooping out the fruit from the bottom to about 3/4 inch from the top. Be sure to NOT break the stem! Fill each pear with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and dot with butter piece. Place each pear onto the middle of the triangle of pie crust. Brush edges of pie crust with egg wash. Bring the edges of the pastry together and pinch to seal. Paste lead cutouts on dumpling and lightly brush the dumpling with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and set the dumplings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cover each stem with a small piece of foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool for 20 minutes. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of reduced syrup around the base of each pear. Serve warm!
Here’s a tutorial video for reference!
Hope you enjoy this treat some time this season! It’s so delicious!
Happy eating!
XOXO, terri
XOXO, terri 