Puff pastry star anise poached pears

Recipe by Shane Smith

Another delicious pastry/dessert recipe from Lavey's very own Shane Smith....

INGREDIENTS

Four medium pears

Five pieces of star anise

A cinnamon stick

One split vanilla pod

300g caster sugar

One litre water

One sheet of puff pastry

Egg wash

Sprinkle of brown sugar

METHOD

Place the water, sugar, cinnamon, stair anise, vanilla pod split and de-seeded in a pot and gently heat until the sugar is dissolved (TIP always go for a smaller pot so the liquid will completely submerge the pears during cooking).

Peel the pears, leaving the stalk intact and gently place them into the poaching liquid and depending on the ripeness and size of the pears, gently simmer for 10 minutes or until a small knife is easily inserted into the centre of the pear.

Remove from the heat and allow the pears to cool in the liquid.

Once cold, take a pear and cut the base to ensure its sits upright. Place on a lined baking tray.

Taking your pre-rolled puff pastry sheet, cut a long strip about one inch in thickness and, starting at the base, wrap this around the pear to completely cover it.

Taking some egg wash (whole egg mixed with milk), brush the pastry lightly and sprinkle with some brown sugar.

Place the baking tray with the four pears into a preheated oven set at 180C and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

This is best served warm with a spoon of semi-whipped cream.

ABOUT THE CHEF

Shane Smith from Lavey can be seen on Today with Maura and Daithí on RTE One.

You can contact him via email: shane@chefshanesmith.ie

* For more recipes and demos, check out: www.chefshanesmith.ie