Amaretto Pear Blintzes with Candied Almonds
Sometimes you can start with the simplest ingredients and end up with something special. This recipe is a perfect example. I had fresh pears and flour tortillas. I wanted to make a brunch dish for a friend so I added a few more ingredients and ended up with these pear blintzes. I make fruit blintzes with tortillas pretty often. I wanted these to be different. I added Amaretto to the pears and made candied almonds as a topper.
They look like a lot more work than they are. They were simple to make.
My friend said they reminded her of apple pie. In fact, she didn’t believe me at first, when I said they were pears. If you like the taste of homemade fruit pie, but don’t have the time to bake, these are a nice option. Because they are barely cooked, the pears retain some shape. In a pie, pears tend to fall apart.
Since we had them for brunch, I left them plain, but these would make a great dessert topped with whipped cream or ice cream. Even a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of caramel. Simple and quite flavorful.
Amaretto Pear Blintzes with Candied Almonds
Blintzes:
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas, I used whole wheat
2 oz. milk
2 T. butter
Filling:
4 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
½ c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
2 T. Amaretto
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Candied Almonds
¾ c. sliced almonds
½ c. sugar
¼ c. water
½ t. cinnamon
Place tortillas in shallow dish and drizzle the milk over them. Try to get some milk on each of the tortillas to soften them. While the tortillas are softening, prepare the filling. In medium skillet, combine pears with the rest of the filling ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Set aside. Combine almonds with the sugar, water and cinnamon in medium skillet. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook until liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Pour almonds onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet or foil. Spread out and allow nuts to cool.
Place butter in skillet and start to heat up the pan. While pan is heating, divide pear filling among the 4 tortillas. Place filling along center of tortilla and fold up edges over, to cover the filling. Heat the tortillas, seam side down, in the pan until golden, turning to toast evenly on both sides. Remove from pan and place on serving plate. Top with some of the candied almonds. Serves 4.
