Chocolate Puff Pastry With Pear and Almond Frangipane
490 g (17.3 oz) chocolate puff pastry (recipe follows), or 2 sheets regular puff pastry. Thaw if frozen.
For poached pear:
3 ripe but still firm Bosch pears
750 ml (1 bottle) good quality white wine of your preference
1/2 cup sugar
vanilla bean, scraped
For frangipane:
1/2 cup butter, soften at room temperature
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten with fork
1 tbs orange blossom water
2½ cup almond meal
2½ tbs all-purposed flour
1/2 tsp salt
Apricot preserve, optional
Directions:
1. To make poached pear:
Peel, and cut the pear in half, using melon baller core and discard the seeds. Place them in a large pot, pour in white wine, add sugar and vanilla bean. Place the pot over medium low heat, simmer until pears are slightly tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Turn off the heat, cool completely.
2. To make frangipane:
Sift almond meal, all-purposed flour, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using paddle attachment on electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, add egg in two additions, beating well after each addition. Scarpe the side of the bowl if necessary. Turn the speed to low, add almond meal mixture, mix to blend. Refrigerate will working on puff pastry.
3. To assemble: Roll out puff pastry to about a 1/4 inch thick, cut into 5-inch discs. Working with one disc at a time, roll it out until it elongates into an oval shape, about 7-inch long. Don't roll all the way to ends, so the ends will puff up higher then the middle. Transfer to baking sheet, repeat with the rest of puff pastry. Refrigerate 30 to 45 minutes. If there is any left over pastry, wrap, and save it for other use.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Using clean kitchen towel, or paper towel, lightly pat dry poached pears and transfer into a plate.
6. Fill each pastry with (more or less) 3 tablespoons almond frangipane, top with poached pear cut side down. Bake 25 - 35 minutes, until golden brown and puffy.
7. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool completely. Right before serving, brush each pastry with warm apricot preserved if desire.
