Best Pear Ginger Parfait Recipes

Pear Tarte Tatin with Vanilla and Ginger image

Yield Makes 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped into small bowl
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
5 medium-size firm Anjou pears (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled, halved, cored, each half cut into 4 wedges
Whipped cream

Steps:

Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 10-inch square. Trim edges, making 10-inch-diameter round; pierce round all over with fork. Slide onto rimless baking sheet. Cover and chill pastry while preparing pears or up to 1 day.
Fill large skillet with ice and water; set aside. Stir sugar, 1/4 cup water, and corn syrup in heavy 10-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until syrup is dark amber color, occasionally swirling and brushing down sides of skillet with wet pastry brush, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter, then vanilla-bean seeds and ginger (caramel will bubble up). Arrange pears, cut side down and overlapping, in circle in skillet, placing a few around edge, if necessary. Place skillet over medium heat. Cook until pears are tender and syrup thickens enough to coat spoon, about 23 minutes. Place hot skillet atop ice in large skillet to cool pear mixture quickly. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place puff pastry round atop pear mixture in skillet; tuck in edges around pears. Bake tart until pastry is puffed and golden, about 35 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Rewarm tart in oven 8 minutes. Place platter atop skillet. Using oven mitts, hold skillet and platter together and turn over, releasing tart. Serve tart with whipped cream.

Apricot Ginger Pear Parfaits image

Number Of Ingredients 12

6 firm-ripe pears (3 pounds)
5 oz dried apricots (preferably California; 1 heaping cup)
4 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup water
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
4 (4- by 1-inch) strips fresh lemon zest
1 (3-inch) piece cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 (8-ounce) container nonfat vanilla yogurt
Garnish: diced fresh pear and dried apricot slivers
Special Equipment
a food mill fitted with medium disk

Steps:

Peel 4 pears (2 pounds) and coarsely chop (including cores), then transfer to a 3- to 4-quart saucepan. Add apricots, ginger, water, 2 tablespoons sugar, zest, cinnamon stick, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and simmer, covered, until pears are very tender, about 20 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and force mixture through food mill into a bowl. If desired, stir in up to 1 tablespoon additional sugar and cool sauce.
While sauce is cooling, peel, core, and finely dice (1/3 inch) remaining 2 pears (1 pound), then toss with remaining tablespoon lemon juice in a bowl.
Spoon 1/4 cup sauce into each of 6 (8-ounce) glasses and top each serving with 2 tablespoons diced pear. Then spread 2 tablespoons yogurt in each glass and top with 2 more tablespoons diced pear and 1/4 cup sauce.