Servings: 24
Ingredients:
2 quarts dry white wine
2 cups granulated sugar
4 each whole cloves
24 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
24 Fresh pears, peeled, cored
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 cups cream cheese, softened
6 tbsp. whipping cream
2 1/2 cups honey
72 phyllo dough sheets*, cut into 8 inch squares
1 cup (8oz.) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions:
Combine wine, sugar, cloves and cinnamon in large pot. Bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Add pears and cook, covered, over low heat 15 to 20 minutes until tender but not too soft. Remove pears from liquid; set aside to cool.
Cook liquid over medium-high heat until reduced to 1 quart. Add vanilla and chill. Remove cinnamon and cloves before serving.
Combine and blend cream cheese, cream and 6 tablespoons of the honey. Stuff hollows of each pear with 2 teaspoons of the mixture. Brush each pear with honey.
Brush phyllo sheets lightly with butter; layer 3 sheets together for each serving. Center pear onto dough squares and enclose, squeezing dough to seal around pear top. Brush dough with butter and honey. Bake at 375°F. about 7 minutes or until golden.
Ladle 1 ounce chilled reduction onto each serving plate; top with a pear dumpling.
*Note: Frozen Phyllo sheets usually come in packages of approximately 20 sheets. So you may need 4 packages. They can be found in the frozen foods section at your supermarket.
TIP:
If needed, you may decrease the amount of dumplings you wish to make. Cut the recipe ingredients in half, or even in thirds or quarters.
Makes 24 dumplings.
Source: National Honey Board
Date: October 22, 2002