Sherry-poached pears

Ingredients

• 4 ripe Bartlett pears
• 1¼ cups oloroso sherry
• 0.33 cup sugar
• ½ Orange zest
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ cup raisins
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ½ Lemon juice

• ¾ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 1 tsp honey
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 sheets filo dough

Poached and Roasted Pears
1. Peel, core and slice off the bottom half of each pear. Dice the bottom halves and set aside. Place pear tops in a medium saucepan with sherry, sugar and orange zest and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Allow to cool. Remove pear tops from the liquid and set aside. Heat ¾ cup of the liquid on medium heat until reduced to a syrup, about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small roasting pan, combine diced pears, black pepper, raisins, honey and lemon juice. Roast this mixture in the oven, stirring periodically, until pears are tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Maple-Roasted Walnuts
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and lightly toast them in the oven for 10 minutes. Shake off and discard the skin from the nuts. Drizzle nuts with syrup and toss to coat. Return to the oven and, stirring every 5 minutes, bake until all the maple syrup has crystallized, about 20 minutes.
Crispy Filo
4. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together honey and butter and brush onto one sheet of filo dough. Place the other sheet on top and flatten with a rolling pin. Brush the top with the honey butter. Cut the dough into dime thick strips and lay them out on the baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown.