FLAKY PEAR & GORGONZOLA PASTRIES

This turnover is a sweet and savoury treat that’s good for any time of day. The pears are caramelized before being added to sheets of store-bought puff pastry, sprinkled with walnuts for crunch and finished with Gorgonzola for saltiness. Serve warm or at room temperature.

2 Bosc pears, peeled, thinly sliced

1 tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter

2 tbsp (30 mL) light brown sugar

Pinch fine salt

2 sheets all-butter puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup (125 mL) toasted walnuts

1/2 cup (125 mL) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Flaked salt for topping

1 To a skillet over low heat, add pears, butter, brown sugar and salt. Continuously stirring, cook until pears have just started to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Let cool while you prepare pastry.

2 Roll out each sheet of puff pastry to form a 12-inch (30 cm) square. Cut each sheet into 4 evenly sized squares, making a total of 8 squares. Turn pastry 45 degrees to create diamond shapes.

3 Evenly divide pear mixture, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese among puff pastry, keeping all ingredients in centre of diamond.

4 Brush exposed edges generously with egg. Fold 2 opposing corners into middle and pinch together to seal tightly, leaving rest of filling exposed. Brush tops with remaining egg and sprinkle with flaked salt. Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while oven heats up.

5 Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).

6 Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

Makes 8 pastries