Pear and Almond Pie
Pear and Almond Pie
Poached pear halves filled with rum-spiked almond cream, baked in puff pastry under a lattice, served with a caramelized pear sauce.
Prep: 45 minutes · Cook: 40 minutes
What Is Pear and Almond Pie?
A composed pear pie: poached pear halves filled with rum-scented almond cream (frangipane), baked in a puff-pastry case under a lattice, and served with a caramelized pear-nectar sauce.
Why Make Pear and Almond Pie?
- A patisserie-level dessert from pantry parts
- Poaching keeps the pears tender and perfumed
- Almond cream is the classic partner to pears
- The caramelized pear sauce reuses the poaching pears
- An impressive finish for a dinner party
Ingredients
- 1 pkg puff pastry (thawed)
- 8 Bartlett or Bosc pears
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup almond flour (1/2 cup blanched almonds + 1/4 cup sugar, ground)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp rum
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- 2 cups water (to poach the pears)
- 1 cup sugar (to poach the pears)
- 1 cup pear nectar (divided)
- 1/2 cup white wine (for the sauce)
Instructions
- Poach the pears: peel, halve and core them; bring the water, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of the pear nectar to a boil, add the pears and cook on medium about 10 minutes, until just firm. Cool the pears in the liquid.
- Make the almond flour: lightly toast the blanched almonds, then grind with 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor.
- Make the almond cream: add the butter, the remaining sugar, egg yolk and rum to the almond flour in the processor and blend.
- Dry 12 of the pear halves well and fill the centres with almond cream (reserve 4 halves in the poaching liquid for the sauce).
- Roll out the pastry and line a pie plate; lay the stuffed pear halves cut-side down on the base and dot any extra cream around them.
- Cover with a puff-pastry lattice, brush with egg wash, and bake at 400F for 35-40 minutes, until golden.
- For the sauce, reheat the reserved 4 pear halves in their liquid with the white wine, remaining 1/2 cup pear nectar and 1 tbsp rum; cook until thickened and caramelized, then puree.
- Serve the pie warm with the sauce.
Cooking Tips
- Poach the pears only until just firm — they bake further
- Dry the pears well so the pastry stays crisp
- Make your own almond flour for the freshest flavour
- Chill the assembled pie briefly before baking for a sharper lattice
- Reduce the sauce until it coats the spoon
Frequently Asked Questions About Pear and Almond Pie
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1. What pears hold up best?
Firm Bartlett or Bosc pears poach without collapsing.
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2. Can I buy almond flour instead?
Yes — store-bought almond flour saves the toasting-and-grinding step.
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3. What is almond cream?
A frangipane of ground almonds, butter, sugar and egg — the classic pear filling.
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4. Can I use store-bought pastry?
Yes — thawed puff pastry is exactly what the recipe calls for.
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5. Can I make it ahead?
Assemble and chill, then bake before serving; the sauce reheats well.
Pear and Almond Pie Made Simple
Pear and Almond Pie is a showpiece that hides its effort. Built from a Unico pantry of poaching-day staples, it eats like patisserie.