Best Pear Almond And Dried Cherry Brown Betty Recipes

ALMOND, PEAR AND CHERRY POCKET PIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
• Lightly flour your work surface. Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet at a time and roll each into a 10 by 15-inch rectangle. Using a ruler, cut each into 2 (5 by 15-inch) rectangles, then cut each rectangle into 5 (5 by 3-inch) rectangles. Transfer the 20 rectangles on to the baking sheet and chill in the fridge until cold.
• Peel, halve and core the pears, and then cut them into 1/4-inch thick slices. Toss them with the almonds, cherries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and almond extract.
• Remove the rectangles from the fridge, place 5 of them on a new baking sheet and evenly spoon half the fruit mixture onto them, leaving a little bit of a border all around. Beat the egg and lightly brush the borders. Lay 5 more rectangles of dough over the filling. Use a fork to press them gently sealed. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Brush the tops with the beaten egg. Cut 3 vents, about 1/2-inch long, in the top of each pie. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake, rotating once, until the crust is golden and you see the juices bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the pies on a cooling rack at least 20 minutes before serving.

PEAR AND DRIED CHERRY CRISP WITH COCONUT-ALMOND TOPPING

Steps:

• For Topping:
• Mix flour, sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg in medium bowl. Add chilled butter and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add shredded coconut and sliced almonds and rub mixture with fingertips until small clumps form. (Topping can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For Fruit:
• Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter 13 x 9x2-inch glass baking dish. Toss pears, cherries, sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Transfer to prepared dish. Dot with butter. Sprinkle topping over. Bake until topping browns and juices thicken, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve with ice cream.

CHERRY AND COCONUT BROWN BETTY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch-square baking dish. Spread 1 cup cherries in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons coconut and 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Repeat three more times with cherries and dry ingredients.
• Cover baking dish with foil. Bake until cherry juice bubbles and candies a bit on the edges, about 1 hour. Remove foil and place dish under a broiler to toast the top layer, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Serve warm; pass a pitcher of chilled cream at the table for drizzling on top.

PEAR AND SOUR CHERRY BROWN BETTY WITH BRANDY HARD SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the hard sauce, in a medium bowl set an electric mixer on high and beat the butter until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add confectioners' sugar. When the sugar is incorporated, set the speed back to high. Add the brandy 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until combined. Beat in the nutmeg. Transfer the sauce to a ramekin or bowl, cover and refrigerate. Hard sauce can be made at least a week ahead, but allow it to come to room temperature before serving (about 20 minutes).
• To make the brown betty, heat the Cognac or brandy in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the liquid has come to a simmer, turn off the heat and add the cherries. Allow them to absorb most of the liquid, about 20 minutes.
• While cherries are standing, heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture for sprinkling. Add bread, butter and lemon zest. Toss until sugar has dissolved and bread is completely coated.
• In a shallow 1 1/2-quart gratin dish (or a 9-by-9-inch pan), scatter a little under half the bread cubes. Layer half the pear slices and half the cherries (along with any liquid) on top. Cover with a cup of bread crumbs and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons cider. Layer remaining pears, cherries and bread. Sprinkle top with remaining cider and reserved sugar-and-spice mixture.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Take off foil and continue baking, until crumbs are golden brown and pears are very soft, about 15 minutes more. Serve warm with dollops of hard sauce.

CHERRY-ALMOND-PEAR CROSTATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and the salt. Cut in 1/2 cup butter, using pastry blender, until particles are size of small peas. In small bowl, mix egg and 2 tablespoons of the water; sprinkle over flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost leaves side of bowl (up to 1 tablespoon more water can be added). Gather dough into a ball; shape into flattened 5-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• On floured surface, roll pastry into 13-inch round. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• In food processor, place 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1/4 cup of the butter pieces and the almond paste. Cover; process with on-and-off pulses until crumbly. Between pieces of plastic wrap, form mixture into a disk; roll to 10-inch round. Place over center of crust.
• In large bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour and the cardamom. Stir in pears to coat. Mix in cherries and lemon juice. Spoon pear mixture over almond layer to within 3 inches of edge. Dot with 2 tablespoons remaining butter pieces. Fold 2-inch edge of crust up over pear mixture, pleating crust. Brush crust edge with water; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until pears are tender and crust is brown. Cool 20 minutes. Cut into wedges; serve warm.

DRIED CHERRY-ALMOND BREAD

Steps:

• In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cherries; let stand 20 minutes. Drain. Heat oven to 325°F. Spray 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour.
• In large bowl, beat brown sugar and softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Beat in eggs and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract until mixture is smooth. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in almonds and cherries; mixture will be thick. Spoon into pan.
• Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is dark golden brown. Cool 10 minutes on cooling rack. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan, and place top side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cooled bread. Wrap tightly; store at room temperature. Cut loaf into 12 slices; cut each slice in half.