Because everything sounds better in French, right?
Today I have the honour of writing a guest post for Nami over at Just One Cookbook while she’s on vacation with her family, but don’t worry – I didn’t write the post in French! The English title for the recipe would be Flambéed Pear Purses with Salted Butter Caramel Sauce and Ganache.
I was very excited to be asked by Nami to guest post for her, but for those of you familiar with her blog you’ll know that her food, presentation, and photography is both exemplary and inspirational. I can’t hope to better her wonderful dishes, but I had noticed, and by her own admission as well, she doesn’t post many baked dishes so I thought what better dish to make than something involving a bit of baking. As many of you’ll know, I’m English myself, with a Swedish wife, and I live in France so the choices were obvious – I wanted to find something from one of these three countries and eventually settled on this.
An aumônière is a purse, or coin pouch, so imagine this as a little pastry “sack”, filled with anything you want. I chose to use pears, and flambéed them in brandy for a little fun with fire.
You can equally use other kinds of fruit, different alcohol, indeed different sauces as well, and it’s not just filo pastry that can be used to make these. Some people use thicker pastry, some use crêpes – the most important thing is to create a pouch shape, but the fillings and shell are really limited only by your imagination.
I do hope you’ll check out my recipe over at Just One Cookbook today! I’ll be back in a couple of days with a new post – until then have a great end of the week everyone, and see you all on Saturday!
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Hi Charles, thank you so much for your kind introduction about my blog. 🙂 I am not much of a baker but I’m going to make this once I go back to the US! The “purse” is so cute and fun to open up the inside to eat with ganache and caramel sauce! Thank you so much for this delicious dessert for my blog – you are right, I’m totally lacking dessert recipes on my blog… hope to catch up one day, with your recipes! 😉
Thanks for letting me guest post for you Nami – it was an honour to “hold the fort” for you in your absence. Do let me know if you decide to give it a try – I hope you’ll enjoy it, and have a wonderful vacation!
I found your site through Nami’s blog. This is such an elegant dessert, yet, super easy to prepare. I love it. Can’t wait to make it on the next family gathering.
Hi Amy – thanks so much for your kind comments 🙂 Do let me know if you give this a try!
Oooo fancy stuff! It sounds good only if pronounced correctly and if you ask my French teacher, she’ll tell you it’s better to get a frog (I meant literally the amphiban thingy) to say it coz I’m gonna make you laugh til you fall off your seat …. huh, that just shows she’s not as good a teacher as she thought, right?
Anyhoo, an edible purse/pouch … I’ve had something similar but a savoury version stuffed with some creamy mushrooms. I love this dessert version. So elegant. I’m imagining it paired with a lovely white wine …. yummmmmm. Merci!
Thanks Ping – it looks very elegant I think… the fold of the pastry trick people into thinking it’s more complex and fancy than it actually is 😀
Eva suggested an alternative version – with brie, pears, honey and walnuts… sounds delicious as well!
Charles I thought I’d stop by to say hi from Nami’s blog to meet you. Your pear purses are lovely and I look forward to trying them. Just yesterday I purchased some pears so rather than eat all of them raw I plan to try your recipe with a couple of them. I’m sure I will be an instant fan.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for your visit Vicki – do let me know if you try these – they’re so darn easy to make 🙂
Now I know how it feels when I type Arab recipes in the post title…. Completely makes no sense whatsoever… 🙂 Glad there’s a post that follows which explains. This looks like an interesting recipe… Will go over to check it out 🙂
Hehe, thanks Fati – enjoy 🙂
If only I’d had this recipe when I had that box of pears to get through. I’ll just hop over to Nami’s site xx
Hehe, I was indeed thinking about this dish when I saw your box o’ pears post – Still, now you have a reason to get more 😀
Beautiful, I adore pears and now you´ve mentioned salted caramel…irresistible. That was said in a French accent by the way 😉
Aaaah, zis sauce, it is, ‘ow you say… irrezistibl-euh? 😀
What a pretty dessert with the sprinkle of powdered sugar, the pool of caramel, and the folded pastry. For me, it wouldn’t require either chocolate or salt.
I could pass on the chocolate in a pinch, but the salt improves the caramel flavour a lot I think!
I need to cook with pears more!
Definitely – I don’t use them enough to be honest!
What a beautiful recipe, Charles and your presentation is wonderful! I really like using filo pastry because it is slightly healthier than puff pastry! I am seeing this on my appi platter this weekend with a slight twist: Aumônières de Poires Flambées avec Brie et miel! I love it.
The salted caramel sauce is really calling my name. Thanks!
We have a day off on Friday and Monday, hope you have an amazing weekend.
Hi Eva – I love the sound of your ones with brie, though I might use goats cheese instead of brie – I’m off brie a bit at the moment 🙂
You’re right Charles, goats cheese is by far a healthier choice!
Hi Charles, I found you through Nami’s blog. What a great idea! Pears flambéed in brandy and served with caramel sounds heavenly!
Thanks for your visit Laura – it’s indeed tasty – and very simple and fast to make!
Charles, I am flabbergasted! (And I never use this word when commenting on blogs, I even had to check the spelling 😉 ) The purse and the two “sauces” look like a perfect Spring dessert: visually light and elegant, but still pleasantly rich and comforting. I adore salted caramel and when it’s paired with dark chocolate, it’s simply addictive. Congratulations for this guest post!
Gosh, that’s quite the compliment Sissi – I’m so pleased you enjoyed the post today – I hope you have a chance to try it too, or a variant thereof. Eva’s idea above sounded good – brie, pears, honey, as a starter. I agree, salted caramel is amazing… one of the best things I know 😀
Congrats ont he guest post over at Nami’s blog. I can’t wait to see what you say over there :). Now onto this amazing dessert.. I love it of course 😉
Thanks Kay 🙂 Hope you enjoyed the post 🙂
Mais c’est extraordinaire! Agreed, everything does sound better in French (and with a British accent too by the way – they’ve even done studies on this – Brits sound like they know what they’re talking about even when they don’t ;-)). But you don’t need any amplification here – this recipe stands on its own gorgeous merits. Going over to track you at Just One Cookbook!
Haha, thanks Kelly 🙂 Hope you have a chance to try this – it’s really easy, really fast and goes down very well with guests 🙂
This dessert is so decadent and elegant. Any guest would feel special having this served to them. I also adore Nami-san’s website and cooking and glad to visit you both on this very special day. Have a great weekend. BAM
Thanks so much Bam for your very kind words – I hope you are able to try this, or a variation thereof soon 🙂
This looks delicious Charles and I love the flaming pears. So much fun! I’ll easily take a few of these. 🙂 Off to check out your post.
Thanks Kristy – I tell you though, I’m going to invest in one of these lighters with a really long “neck”. Using a tiny lighter, let me tell you, it’s hard as anything to set a pan of fast boiling brandy covered pears ablaze and withdraw your hand quickly enough to avoid a singeing 😀
These purses are gorgeous, Charles!!! I love fruit desserts even more than chocolate 🙂
Hi Liz – even *more* than chocolate? Whoa whoa whoa now – that might be going a bit too far, at least for me, haha, but they do make a great change to chocolate sometimes, especially after a large meal!
Charles that looks familiar to me but the name of the dish is unknown, so I have no idea if I had tasted it before or not. I ll hop over to namis!
Happy easter by the way!
Hi Helene – I think parcels, pouches and bundles of pastry exist in many incarnations – I just like to give things pompous titles sometimes, haha 😀 Happy easter to you too!
wow this looks amazing!! I love the integration of the three countries and yes everything sounds better in French 🙂
Thanks BakingAddict – the caramel sauce was especially incredible… you can never have too much caramel! 😀
heh like I said on twitter, and on nami’s blog, OOOH CHEF-Y! definitely looks restaurant-quality! I love pears in dessert! makes me feel just that bit more virtuous 😉
Hehe, thanks Shuhan – I’m actually wondering if it wouldn’t look better with just plain chocolate, melted and drizzled over, instead of ganache, but that’s something I can fix next time 🙂
Hi Charles, It was a pleasure meeting you at Nami’s blog. I like this dessert post that you have and it looks delicious. Thank you for sharing your creation with us.
Hi Ray – lovely to meet you too! Thanks for your kind compliments 🙂
Congrats on the guesting on the blog Charles-Just love caramel sauce and those pears-divine!
Thanks GD – Caramel sauce… oh yeah, I could eat some spoons of that right now 😀
After drooling over your post and then seeing that Eva is working on her own version….I’m thinking it would be a good time to drop in on her, wouldn’t it? This looks so beautiful Charles. Happy Easter…..hope you and your wife have a great weekend.
Hi Barb – I think that sounds like a splendid idea! No doubt Eva would be very happy to share them… it is of course your duty as a friend to save her from the hardship of having to eat several herself! 🙂 Happy easter to your and your family too – have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Charles, your dessert is elegant but simple to prepare. That makes it perfect as far as I’m concerned.
Thanks for your kind comment Karen – it’s super simple to make, and the taste is very good too! Hope you can give it a try 🙂
Awesome, I have just the apple shoes to go with. I mean they do look wonderful!
I need to bake more with pears, I love them raw but never seem to use them in anything else.
Heading over to Nami’s to check out the post
Thanks Sawsan – enjoy the post 🙂 Hope you have a chance to try it!
Delicious guest post — love the surprise filing from a delicious pastry purse 😉
Thanks Kiran – setting fire to the pears was especially fun 😀
I loved your guest post for Nami. The bonus is I got to find a new blogger with some serious skills and style. So very nice to meet you.
Why thank you so much Kim! I hope you get a chance to try this… it’s super easy to make and looks great when served…. sure to garner some admiring remarks 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by – lovely to meet you too!