Brown Sugar Pear Strudel Pockets

Brown Sugar Pear Strudel Pockets

Categories:

Pastries
Afternoon Tea
Breakfast
Summer
Fall
Serves
16 strudel pockets
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 to 25 minutes
Ingredients
For the filling:
  • 4 cups (560 g) diced Bosc pears, washed and peeled
  • 5 tbsp (75 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup (72 g) Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup (50 g) Redpath® Granulated Sugar
  • 5 tsp (13 g) cornstarch
  • 1½ tsp (3 g) ground cardamom
  • ¼ tsp (2 g) salt
  • 1 to 2 sprigs (2 g) fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp (2 g) grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest
  • 1 recipe Quick Puff Pastry, from Redpath’s “Classic Mille-Feuille Cake” or 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (thaw and use according to package instructions)
For the egg wash:
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
For the icing:
  • ⅔ cup (80 g) Redpath® Icing Sugar
  • ½ tsp (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp (2 g) salt
Redpath Dark Brown Sugar
Dark Brown Sugar
Instructions

Steps on making roasted pear pockets

1. Preheat oven to 375℉ (191℃). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the filling:

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine diced pears with the lemon juice and toss to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together the Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar, Redpath® Granulated Sugar, cornstarch, ground cardamom, and salt until no lumps remain. Stir sugar mixture with the pears until evenly coated. Add in the sprigs of thyme and grated ginger.

2. Place pot on medium-high heat and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Halfway through the cooking (10 minutes), stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Continue to stir and cook the mixture until pears are fork tender. Remove pot from heat. Transfer filling to a heatproof bowl to cool.

3. Roll puff pastry dough into a 12 by 16 inch rectangle. With a fork, dock the puff pastry dough all over; this will prevent the dough from puffing up too much. With a sharp chef’s knife or pizza cutter, divide dough into sixteen 3 by 4 inch rectangles. Repeat procedure with the remaining sheet of puff pastry.

4. Transfer 8 of the rectangles onto the prepared baking sheet.

5. Remove and discard thyme from the cooled pear filling. Place about two tablespoons of the pear filling in the middle of the 8 rectangles, spreading the filling to about half an inch from the edges.

6. Whisk together the egg and water to create the egg wash. With a pastry brush, brush 8 of the docked pastry rectangles with egg wash.

7. Gently place and press a rectangle of dough over the filling, egg wash side down. Seal edges together and crimp with a fork. With a sharp paring knife, cut a small “x” into each pocket to allow steam to escape. Repeat process with the remaining puff pastry.

8. Lightly brush the tops of each strudel pocket with egg wash.

9. Place into the preheated oven and bake until deep golden in colour; about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

For the icing:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the Redpath® Icing Sugar, water, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth and well combined. Spoon or pipe icing onto the warm strudel pockets. Serve immediately.

Brown Sugar Pear Strudel Pockets
CHEF'S TIPS

*The filling can be made a day in advance.

*Zest the lemon before juicing. Any extra zest can be wrapped up in plastic wrap or placed into a small freezer safe bag and frozen for future use.

*Any leftover pear filling can be used as a topping for yogurt, ice cream, or toast, or used as an accompaniment for pork dishes.

*For a more traditional toaster strudel icing, stir 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of room temperature cream cheese into the icing, until smooth.