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So this is the last of my pears that I bought, yes I am JUST NOW finishing them.  Perhaps buying so many pears may not have been the best idea seeing that it is just me and my fiance but they’re so versatile you can use them in anything.  But I think the best way is to use pears would be in desserts, I love how they transform in flavor and texture once they are poached or baked.  It simply melts in your mouth and the flavor of the pear seems to be accentuated.  For this recipe, I poached some pears in a red wine mixture, wrapped it in phyllo and sprinkled it with some sugar and butter so it’d have a caramelization effect.  The warm crunchy pear phyllo pairs great with the cold and creamy vanilla ice cream — a pear a la mode! :)

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Ingredients for Caramelized Pear Phyllo:

  • 12 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted (12″ x 18″ sheets)
  • 6 large pears, peeled, cored and halved
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 tablespoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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For the pears, in a large pot place add the wine, vinegar, water, sugar, and spices and heat mixture at medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.  Cook at a low medium heat where the liquid is barely simmering, (if it is bubbling lower the heat) and carefully add the pears. Cook for about 15- 20 minutes until the pears are soft and are a nice red color from the wine.  Remove pears from the poaching liquid and set aside to cool.

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Pre-heat oven at 375F.

Take the cooled pears and slice them in half horizontally so they can be layered with the phyllo.  Mix the melted butter, brown sugar and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper or foil and butter the bottom.  Lay down two strips of the phyllo dough and brush with butter mixture.  Lay down the pear slices and repeat with the phyllo dough process until the entire pan is filled ot the top.  Sprinkle the very top with some brown sugar and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until phyllo is a crispy golden brown.

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Cut the Pear Phyllo into squares and serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle it with some honey.  The crunchy carmelized phyllo pears great with the spiced pears and creamy vanilla ice cream — you have a great combination of not only textures but a nice contrast in flavors as well.

If you want to serve it they way I have pictured, simple cut the phyllo with some metal rounds or if you do not own any, use the mouth of a large wine glass!  Carefully move the round to a plate andtop with ice cream and garnish with the crispy sides of the phyllo dough.  This is actually a really healthy dessert, the phyllo is low in fat and so are the pears — to save calories skip the ice cream and use low fat yogurt instead :)

31 Comments

  1. ek. says: 14 Nov ’09 • 13:35:10

    MMMMMMM that looks amazing.

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 14 Nov ’09 • 14:03:25

      Thanks Elissa happy birthday!

  2. Reiko says: 14 Nov ’09 • 13:46:34

    This looks absolutely delicious!! The picture with the ladybug is so cute, too. I think I’d have to choose ice cream. When you have such a great dessert, you shouldn’t think about calories, right? ;)

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 14 Nov ’09 • 14:05:05

      Thank you Reiko :) Haha I absolutely AGREE, I dont like to skimp on the good stuff I always consume the calories first and worry about it later hee hee hee

  3. Angie says: 14 Nov ’09 • 18:58:20

    So I bought phyllo dough, maybe I should make this instead…(I was going to put apples in but I ate all my apples because I didn’t have time to actually bake them.) Actually do you think this would work with apples instead of pears? And I know typically when I bake I use butter, but I was going to brush with olive oil.

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 14 Nov ’09 • 19:50:32

      Hey Angie –
      you can definitely use apples instead of pears, when you poach the apples it will probably take a little longer ~35 min. Olive oil is definitely a much healthier alternative! Tell me how it turns out!

  4. Brad says: 14 Nov ’09 • 23:51:22

    Pearlicious fo sho.

    thanks for the great pics and recipe. Wish I could eat it right now.

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 10:21:30

      Hahaha fo sho!! I always wish all us foodies lived in a small neighborhood together so we could eat each other’s food the whole time. That would probably lead us to be one of the most obese neighborhoods in the states but I guarantee we’d be happy haha.

  5. MaryMoh says: 15 Nov ’09 • 02:07:08

    wow…that actually looks so good. ….mmmm. I never eat desserts with ice cream but have learned to do so since I came here. It just makes the dessert takes so good. Thnaks for sharing. I know what to do now if I have extra pears.

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 10:25:24

      Yeah I completely agree Mary, ice cream makes everything better :) Thank you for your kind words as always :)

  6. Karine says: 15 Nov ’09 • 07:06:58

    It seems to be a great way to enjoy pears! Thanks for sharing :)

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 10:32:57

      Thank you Karine for your kind words, it is nice to meet you :) !

  7. Divina says: 15 Nov ’09 • 08:13:02

    I love dessert with ice cream. Perfect pair for your caramelized pear phyllo. When it comes to desserts, no need to count calories. :)

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 10:33:58

      I agree 100% Divina

  8. betty says: 15 Nov ’09 • 18:22:34

    amazing photo’s Joy, we hardly have pears in my home, and when we do they are gone really quick just eaten fresh hehe

    love how you captured the yellow lady bug!

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 10:19:13

      Aw thanks for your wonderful words Betty :) I love to eat pears fresh too mmmm

  9. kenwooi says: 16 Nov ’09 • 10:46:06

    looks good! yummy!
    btw, the ladybird on the pear… good shot! =)

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 11:13:48

      aw thanks ken :) I love ladybugs they are so cute ^_^

  10. Shari says: 16 Nov ’09 • 11:03:30

    I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!! This dessert looks incrediable, I can’t wait to try it. Of course, it would be wise to cut the calories and use frozen yogurt, but oh my guess is that this is wonderful with homemade vanilla ice cream Let’s see, I have phyllo, a couple of pears and some ice cream in the freezer. I always have wine and I even had a ladybug on my hibiscus this morning. PERFECT!

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 11:13:24

      Thank you Shari :) ! I love hibiscus they are such beautiful flowers, and I agree…its always wise to cut calories but then my brain screams LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WORRY ABOUT CALORIES…maybe my pants may fit tighter but let me tell ya, I’m definitely happier :)

  11. megan says: 16 Nov ’09 • 11:08:52

    This looks beautiful. I love pears, but I’ve never baked with them. Thanks for the inspiration. :) That first pictures of the pears is really good!

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 11:14:14

      Thank you megan for your kind words! It is a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to sharing recipes with you :)

  12. anncoo says: 16 Nov ’09 • 11:35:02

    I love the pictures, I love the recipe~~in fact everything in this post :D

    Reply

  13. dhaleb says: 16 Nov ’09 • 12:19:00

    These pictures are beautiful! Congrats on Top 9 on Foodbuzz :)

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 13:52:26

      Thank you so much for your kind words dhaleb :)

  14. Mr. P says: 16 Nov ’09 • 14:01:08

    Joy,

    That looks fantastic. You know, by the way, it isn’t possible to have too many pears. (That’s how my blog started – except I didn’t buy ‘em!)

    Lovely photos. You’re so good!

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 16:12:44

      Mr.P you are indeed correct, there is never a such thing as “too many pears” :) What is the story behind the pears and the starting of your blog? Thank you for your kind words as always!

  15. Rose says: 16 Nov ’09 • 16:07:31

    *squeal*! I love your ladybug!!!! How cute! Beautiful recipe as well.

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 16 Nov ’09 • 16:14:18

      Thank you Rose!!! :) They are my favorite type of insect and of course the butterfly, but those aren’t as cooperative during pictures hee hee. Thank you for your kind words and it is a pleasure to meet you!

  16. kristy says: 20 Nov ’09 • 01:23:53

    I always love dessert to go with ice-cream. Love the milky touch flavour but will cut down the sweetness of the dessert. Trying not to make it too sweet.

    Reply

    • Joy Zhang says: 20 Nov ’09 • 10:43:05

      Yeah for sure, you can always poach the pears without sugar and omit the honey. My mom doesnt like sweet desserts either but she does love her ice cream!

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