Caged Pears (Poires en Cage) Recipe

Pears in a cage make a stunning closer to an autumn meal. They’re light but full of flavor, especially if you take the extra step of filling the pear with a little bit of almond cream (talk about gilding the lily, it’s a luscious surprise inside an already impressive dessert). You’ll need:

6 poached pear halves
about 16 ounces puff pastry
2-3 ounces almond cream (optional)
egg wash

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch. Along one side of the pastry sheet, cut out pear shapes that are about an inch longer and wider than your poached pear halves. Once those are done, roll the lattice cutter over the remaining pastry and cut out pieces roughly the size of your pear shapes. Transfer all of them to a parchment-lined sheet pan and put them into the refrigerator.

Meanwhile remove your poached pears from the fridge. Using a slotted spoon transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Leave them there for 5-10 minutes, dabbing them lightly with paper towels every so often to absorb any drops of syrup on the tops. While the pears are draining prepare the almond cream if you’re using it.

Remove the pastry pieces from the refrigerator. Set the lattice pieces aside and spread the pear shapes evenly out on the sheet pan. Fill the hollows of the pears with the almond cream and lay them down on the pear-shaped pastry pieces. Apply the lattice-cut pieces to the tops, trim off any excess and gently press down around the edges to seal. You can hold the pastries for several hours at this point in the refrigerator, lightly covered with plastic, or freeze them for up to a month.

When you’re ready to bake preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully paint the lattice with egg wash and bake the pastries for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool and serve them warm.