Honeyed Pears in Puff Pastry

A sweet salute to late-summer pear season, this cozy dessert has plenty of wow factor. I love how the wrapped puffed pastry resembles a beehive. —Heather Baird, Knoxville, TN

Prep: 25 min.

• Bake: 25 min. Makes: 4 servings

4 small pears 4 cups water 2 cups sugar 1 cup honey 1 small lemon, halved 3 cinnamon sticks (3 in.) 6 to 8 whole cloves 1 vanilla bean 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears; cut 1/4 in. from the bottom of each to level.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon halves, cinnamon and cloves. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds; add bean and seeds to sugar mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; place pears on their sides in saucepan and poach, uncovered, until pears are almost tender, basting occasionally with poaching liquid, 16-20 minutes.

3. Remove the pears and cool slightly. Strain and reserve 11/2 cups poaching liquid; set aside.

4. Unfold the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 1/2-in.-wide strips. Brush lightly with egg. Starting at the bottom of a pear, wrap a pastry strip around pear, adding additional strips until pear is completely wrapped in pastry. Repeat with remaining pears and puff pastry.

5. Transfer to a parchment paperlined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake pears on a lower oven rack at 400° until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, bring reserved poaching liquid to a boil; cook until liquid is thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Place pears on dessert plates and drizzle with syrup. Serve warm.

1 pear with 3 Tbsp. syrup: 518 cal., 17g fat (4g sat. fat), 0 chol., 205mg sod., 92g carb. (49g sugars, 9g fiber), 5g pro.