Pastry Chef Pradeep Dharmawardane of Marcel's-Washington DC
Adapted by StarChefs.com
November 2006

Yield: 5 Servings

Ingredients:

Poached Pears:
• 5 Bartlett pears
• 32 ounces Champagne
• 10 ounces sugar
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  
  To Assemble:
• 4 ounces marzipan
• 1 ounce dried cranberries, soaked in Brandy
• 6 ounces puff pastry
• Egg-wash, as needed
• Crème Anglaise, to serve

Method:

For the Poached Pears:
Peel the pears being careful to keep the stems on. Using a melon baler, core the pears beginning from a ¾ inch opening on the bottom and keeping the top intact. Stand the pears in pot with the Champagne, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Bring to a gentle simmer and poach until tender, about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate over night in the poaching liquid.

To Assemble:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the marzipan and soaked cranberries until smooth. Remove the pears from the liquid, and stuff with cranberry filling. Roll the puff pastry into a thin sheet and cut ¾-inch strips. Egg-wash the strips and wrap the pear beginning from the stem end to the bottom, overlapping the strips on one another. Egg-wash again and bake until golden brown. Serve warm with crème Anglaise.