Just Desserts!

Piccoli "Strudel" alla Pera & Coriandolo

Mini Pear & Coriander Strudel

It has been another of those stressful work days and was followed by a trip out to see family, which is always lovely- but is also a long commute. Which meant that I nibbled on this and that whilst I was there, but did not sit down to a proper meal. Which was all fine, but by the time I got home at 9.30 pm, I hadn't eaten properly, so I was a little hungry- but I had eaten a little, so I didn't feel like a full meal- or like cooking for that matter!

So, "long story short" as they say, I decided to make a little treat rather than a "proper" meal and decided to make it from a nice, wonderfully ripe pear and the last left-over strip from the puff pastry from last night. I am definitely a "waste not, want not" kinda guy- especially when "wasting not" looks and tastes like this!

I peeled, halved and cored the pear, drizzled it with lime juice to keep it from going brown and to give it a more complex flavor, dusted it with a little Stevia and the sprinkled it with a touch of cinnamon and a more generous amount of coriander powder.

Coriander powder has nothing to do, flavor wise, with coriander or cilantro. It has a warm, mellow spiciness to it that combines wonderfully with pear... if you're not already familiar with it- you're going to love it!

I placed the pear halves onto the puff pastry, trimmed the pastry down to just a little more than the width of the pear, folded it over and sealed the ends by pressing them together with a fork. I made three cuts into the pastry using a sharp knife- not only for decoration, but also to allow the pear to give off a little steam whilst baking and to no become soggy from the juices.

I placed them into a dry, non-stick frying pan and started them off, "frying" at top heat for maybe 6-7 minutes. I then "baked" these little beauties for around 15 minutes until puffy and golden brown, at 350°F in a pre-heated oven. I served and enjoyed mine, still piping hot, with a little vanilla custard, straight from the fridge... yum! Now that WAS a treat! A truly perfect combination!