Pastry-Wrapped Pears - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
12 tbsp butter
1 None lemon, zested
1 None free-range egg, separated and beaten
6 None firm pears, peeled, stem left on
None None heavy cream, to serve

Preparation

To make the pastry, mix the flour and the sugar together, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the lemon zest and stir in the egg yolk with a knife. Bring the mixture together to create a dough, adding a little cold water if dry. Chill for about 10 mins, then roll out into a 1/4 inch thickness rectangle. Cut the pastry into long strips about 2/3 inch wide.
Preheat the oven to 375\u00b0F. Cut off the bottoms of the pears so that they stand upright. Starting at the top, wrap a pastry strip around each pear, making sure that the layers overlap and the pear is completely covered. Cut out leaf shapes from the pastry scraps and press them into the pastry next to the pear stems. Brush the pastry with the egg white, then bake for 35-40 mins until crisp and golden. Serve with the cream.