Ingredients

Method

For the honey syrup:
• 1⁄4 cup honey
• 2 T boiling water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 (about 900 g) ripe, crisp pears, peeled and thinly sliced
• 500 g Woolworths all-butter puff pastry, thawed
• 1 free-range egg, separated
• 4 T ground almonds
• Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
• Whipped cream or thick sour cream, for serving

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. To make the honey syrup, simmer the honey, water and cinnamon together until syrupy. Mix the sliced pears with the cooled syrup.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place one square of pastry on the paper-lined tray. Brush with the lightly beaten egg white. Sprinkle with the ground almonds, leaving a border around the edges of the pastry. Spoon the pears on top of the almonds.
4. Roll out the remaining sheet of pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper just until large enough to cover the pears. Press down the edges using the tines of a fork. Beat the egg yolk with 1 T water and use to brush the pie.
5. Cut a few slits into the top of the pie and bake, one shelf below the centre of the oven, for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool for 5–10 minutes. If you like, dust with icing sugar. Serve warm with cream.

Cook's note: This is a no-fuss dessert, made with ready-cut squares of buttery pastry. Keep a supply of phyllo and puff pastry in the freezer and you’ll be minutes away from your favourite pie or tart.

Discover more sweet and savoury pie recipes here.