Best Brandied Baked Pears Recipes

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Remove stems and discard and then peel. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise and core . Place the pears in a glass bowl and set aside.
• To make the syrup: Combine in a large pot the water, sugar, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Using the wooden spoon, add the pears to the hot syrup, and stir to coat well. Raise the heat under the pears and bring the syrup to a gentle boil, carefully turning over the fruit with the spoon.
• Cook the pears, turning occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender but not too soft when pierced with a fork. Watch the fruit carefully and don't let it scorch.
• Remove the pears from the heat and stir in the brandy. Remove the pan from the heat and set on a wire rack to cool. Then, transfer the pears to a glass or porcelain bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill completely before serving.

BRANDIED PEAR, PRUNE AND FIG PIE

Steps:

• For Crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter and cream cheese until coarse meal forms. With machine running, pour just enough water down feed tube to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)
• For Filling: Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Mix in pears, prunes and figs. Sprinkle brandy over and mix well. Let stand 15 minutes to allow juices to form.
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400° F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 14-inch-diameter round. Transfer to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish; gently press dough into place. Spoon filling into crust, mounding slightly in center. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 14-inch-diameter round. Drape dough over filling. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Press edges together to seal and fold under. Crimp edge decoratively. Brush top of crust (but not edge) with glaze. Cut several small slits in crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake pie until crust is golden brown and pears are tender when pierced through steam vents, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

BRANDIED BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Peel and halve pears, leaving stems intact, then core with melon-ball cutter and toss with brown sugar in a large bowl.
• Melt butter in a 3-quart shallow baking dish in oven, about 1 minute, then add pears, turning to coat with butter. Add water to dish and bake pears, turning over occasionally, until tender and edges are caramelized, 30 to 50 minutes, depending on ripeness of pears.
• Transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a plate, then add 1/4 cup brandy to baking dish and stir with a heatproof rubber spatula to dissolve any caramelized juices. Return pears to dish.
• Whisk cream in a bowl just until thick (before soft peaks form), then whisk in remaining teaspoon brandy. Serve pears with brandy sauce and drizzle with brandied cream.

CREAMY BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar into buttered dish.
• Rub remaining 1 tablespoon butter over pear halves; arrange pears cut sides down in prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Pour cream over pears and continue baking until tender, about 20 minutes more.

BAKED PEARS IN MAPLE SYRUP AND APPLE BRANDY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Put syrup in a shallow bowl. Put a thin slice from bottom of each pear so that pears will stand upright. Dip and roll each pear in maple syrup to coat completely, reserving remaining syrup. Transfer pears as coated to a 9- by 2-inch square baking pan, standing them upright.
• Sprinkle pears with 2 tablespoons sugar, holding by stems and tilting to coat sides. Stir lemon juice, 2 tablespoons Calvados, and butter into reserved syrup and pour around pears in pan.
• Bake pears, uncovered, in middle of oven until undersides are tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
• Beat cream with remaining tablespoon sugar and remaining tablespoon Calvados with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks.
• Divide pears and syrup among plates and serve warm, with whipped cream on the side.