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Pear Rosettes with Caramel and Crumbled Amaretti

These pear rosettes make a fun and festive holiday treat! The pears are soaked in a mixture of Amaretto, brown sugar and cinnamon, and then arranged onto puff pastry that has been lined with a layer of caramel and a sprinkle of crumbled Amaretti cookies. Once baked, the puff pastry gets crisp on the outside, yet remains soft in the center, the caramel mingles with the Amaretto infused pears and the Amaretti cookies add a chewy bite.
A couple of notes about this recipe:
Feel free to skip making the caramel from scratch if you want to save time. Any good quality caramel will work.
When it comes to choosing pears, make sure they are firm. They will be easier to work with. While any firm pear would work, if I had the choice, I would choose Red Anjou. Since they are not quite as curvy as Bosc, the rosettes will be more consistent in size and shape, and if you don't peel them before slicing, they add a beautiful Fall color to your dessert.
Yields 10 Rosettes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

For the Caramel

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 Tbspns butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/8 tspn salt

For the Pears

  • 5-6 firm pears (Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou), cored, and sliced into 1/4" thick slices.
  • 4 Tbspns butter, salted and melted
  • 1 Tbspn cornstarch
  • 4 Tbspns Amaretto
  • 2 Tbspn brown sugar
  • 1/2 tspn cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Amaretti cookies, crumbled
  • 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Instructions
 

  • Before you begin, preheat the oven to 375°F.

For the Caramel

  • Heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, mixing constantly until the sugar melts, the clumps have dissolved and the mixture turns brown.
  • Then, add the butter and whisk until it is completely melted.
  • While stirring, add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time. Bring the mixture to a boil for about a minute.
  • Then, add the salt and mix well. Remove the caramel from the heat and allow the it to cool before using.

For the Rosettes

  • Begin by greasing a muffin tin.
  • In a large bowl, make the poaching liquid. Add the melted butter, cornstarch, Amaretto, brown sugar, and cinnamon and whisk until well combined.
  • Core and slice the pears into 1/4" slices.
  • Once the pears are sliced, put them in the poaching liquid and mix well so that all the slices are covered in the liquid.
  • Then, place the bowl in the microwave for about 45 seconds to soften the pears. This will make them easier to work with. Give them another good toss when they are warm to make sure they are completely coated in the Amaretto mixture.
  • Roll the puff pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, flatten the dough until it forms a rectangle, about 10"x12" in size.
  • Then, cut the dough into 2" wide strips.
  • Spread a small amount of caramel in an even layer on top of the dough.
  • One at a time, remove the pear slices from the poaching liquid, allowing the excess liquid to drain back into the bowl. Then, arrange the sliced pears across the top half of the strip of dough, allowing them to overlap each other. Depending on the size of the pears, I use about 6-8 slices for each rosette.
  • Add a sprinkle of the crumbled Amaretti cookies and fold the bottom up towards the top, allowing the pears to stick out above the pastry.
  • Then, roll the dough, press the end to seal the rosette, and place it in the muffin tin. Continue with the rest.
  • Bake the rosettes for about 30-35 minutes, until the puff pastry is cooked and golden.
  • These are at their best when served hot from the oven. Dust with powdered sugar, a drizzle of caramel and enjoy!