Breakfast Pastry with Apples, Pears and Cinnamon Balsamic Caramel

A delicious breakfast pastry treat is just the thing sometimes. This one features is perfect for winter as it features apples and pears with a cinnamony caramel. It is delicious and just the thing for a holiday brunch or special treat. It’s different from a couronne in that it doesn’t use a raised dough and it’s richer than a coffee cake because of the puff pastry. Isn’t wonderful to have so many delicious options for your breakfast treats?

Bear in mind that the filling – the apples and pears in caramel can go many a place. It would be delicious on ice cream or pudding. I wouldn’t hesitate to serve it on pork. Heck, it’s yummy just by itself! So if you don’t want to go to the fuss of pastry enjoy the fruit in its sweet/tart sauce.

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Apple and Pear Pastry with Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Caramel

Serves 12

For the Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Caramel

1 TBS unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBS white Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

For the Pastry Dough

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4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 lb COLD butter
1 1/4 cups ice water

For the Filling

4 small apples
2 small pears

Make the puff pastry dough

In a large bowl mix together the flour and salt. Cut the butter up into 1/2 inch slices (NOT CUBES) and toss into the flour mixture.

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Add the ice water and quickly mix with a spoon. Large pieces of butter will remain and the dough will be incredibly sticky.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 10 times by pressing and pushing the dough together to form a rough ball.

Shape the dough into a rough rectangle. it will have dry looking areas and be lumpy. Make the corners as square as possible. Slightly flatten it.

Working on a well-floured surface, roll the dough into an 18×15-inch rectangle. Fold crosswise into thirds to form a 15×6-inch rectangle.
Give dough a quarter turn, then fold crosswise into thirds to form a 5×6-inch rectangle and to create 9 layers. Repeat the rolling, folding, turning, and folding process once more, forming a 5×4-inch rectangle. Wrap dough with plastic wrap or reuseable beeswax wraps.
Chill for 20 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding process 2 more times.
Before using, chill dough for 20 minutes more

For this recipe I used half of the dough produced. I put the other half in the freezer for another time.

While the dough is chilling peel and core the apples and pears and cut them into 1/2 inch slices.

Put the butter and brown sugar in a large saute pan. Let them melt together until they form the beginnings of a caramel.
Add the white Balsamic Vinegar and cinnamon. Let the mixture just come to a boil. Lower the heat and add half of the apples and pears. Let them cook until the fruit is very soft.

Add the remaining apples and pears. Cook until the fruit is just beginning to soften and the caramel is nice and thickened. Set aside.

Put it All Together

Preheat the oven to 400°
Take the pastry dough out of the refrigerator, unfold it and cut it in half. (As I mentioned above I put the second half in my freezer to use later.)

Roll the dough into a rectangle, 1/4″ thick. Mine was the 15″ by 18″ I kept rolling to for the dispersion of the butter. Trim the edges.

Cut about 2″ in on each side to make strips.

Move the dough to a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Place the apple/pear caramel mixture down the center.

Fold the bottom and top up and under and trim. Bring the two opposing sides together, twist and let the ends fall to the other side. Brush with the egg wash.
Bake at 400° for 40 – 45 minutes until nice and brown. Turn the pastry halfway through baking.

Let cool on a wire rack.

How Was the Breakfast Pastry?

This was one yummy breakfast pastry. It was all mighty tasty for lunch or dessert if I do say so myself. The apples and pears were still a bit firm and the caramel was warm with the cinnamon and balsamic flavors. I’ve made it several times and it doesn’t last very long.