Brie Pear And Walnut Parcels

I first saw this idea on Instagram a few months ago.  There was a delectable-looking photo posted by The Bearded Bruncher, all golden and oozing honey.  Just the photo, no recipe so I have had to wing it.  We were heading to our mate Princess Pia's place later in the day so this seemed just the ticket.  And she has a much better oven than mine so they turned out beautifully.  Regular readers will know the deplorable state of my gas oven - timer-less, fan-less, rubber rim-less, non-shutting door; everything gone except the flame.

who can resist such charmers?

These little tarts are so oozy and cheesy and crunchy that you really can't go wrong. Except maybe don't say they're oozy 'cos I just checked out how to spell it and read the definition which says: 'like an infected wound with pus coming out of it".  Eek!  What a picture in my head, and probably yours.  But they are delicious anyway I can assure you.



ingredients:



2 tbs maple syrup

2 tbs butter

2 firm pears (or apples if you prefer), thinly sliced then chopped into small pieces

3 sheets of frozen puff pastry

100g. prosciutto or ham, snipped into small shreds

75g. walnuts, coarsely chopped

240g. Brie or Camembert, chopped into small pieces

sprinkling of thyme, fresh or dried


Method:


Grab a small frypan and throw in the maple syrup and butter 

Once the butter is melted, toss the fruit pieces into the mix

Stir it for a few minutes till the fruit softens (but not completely)

Put it aside to cool

Now grab a cup or bowl of 10.5 cm in diameter, and cut out 4 circles from each sheet of pastry so you end up with 12 rounds

Push these gently down into the lightly greased holes of a muffin tray

Place some prosciutto and nuts into each of the holes

The cheese goes on next, then sprinkle with the herbs

Bake at 185C for about 20-25 minutes till golden and melted

Run a knife around the edges and gently turn them out of the tray

You can pour a wee bit of honey over them if you wish (like The Bearded Bruncher did) but it's not really necessary


Notes:

I used one fresh pear and one spiced chardonnay pear from a jar. 
This really enhanced the flavour.  You could use plums or any fave fruit you like. 

ingredients  

slice the pears thinly  

sautéing the pears in butter and maple syrup 

cut out the 10.5cm rounds 

squish them into a lightly greased muffin tray 

all ready to go into the holes

cheese on top

sprinkle on the thyme and bake at 185C for 20-25 mins.   

golden and crunchy on top 

grab one and eat happily

my pear doodle