Serves 6–12

6 thyme branches

1 egg white (reserve yolk to glaze dumplings)

¼ cup superfine sugar

2 tablespoons soft butter, to grease dish

1 double-crust pie pastry recipe, approximately 14 ounces

For the Filling

4 tablespoons soft butter

⅔ cup brown sugar (4 tablespoons for filling, the rest

to coat pears)

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Zest of 1 lemon

⅔ cup chopped toasted pecans (⅓ cup for filling,

⅓ cup for garnish)

6 small pears, ripe but firm, with stems

For the Caramel Sauce

1 cup white sugar

1½ cups water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons butter

Juice of 1 lemon

8 ounces mascarpone for serving

Extra thyme leaves as garnish, if desired

Start out by making the candied thyme: Preheat oven to 200°F. Whisk egg white with 2 teaspoons of water and brush the thyme branches on all sides. Cover completely with sugar and place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Dry in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. When done, allow to cool and keep dry.

Turn oven to 400° to preheat for dumplings. Butter a baking pan with at least 1-inch-high sides, big enough to just fit the pears so they don’t touch.

Roll out the pastry relatively thin and cut into 6 separate (8-inch) squares. Cut a tiny X in the center of each square for the pear stem to poke through, and return them to the fridge while you are preparing pears.

Make the filling by combining the soft butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, thyme, lemon zest and pecans. 

Cut each pear in half from top to bottom, preserving the stem on one side. Core both sides of the pear. With a paper towel, blot dry the cut side of the pears, and divide the filling among the 6 pears, putting them back together to rebuild each pear.

Using your hands and the remaining brown sugar, coat each pear as well as possible. With one pear upright on the counter, gently place the tiny hole in the center of one pastry square on top of the stem. Use your hands to hug the dough to the pear, folding the remaining dough underneath it. With a small knife, trim the excess dough at the bottom. Pinch the dough together under the pear, trying to get the dough as close to a thin but en- closed layer as you can.

Repeat for the rest of the pears and place them upright into the buttered baking dish. Cut “leaves” out of remaining pastry scraps and attach to the base of the stem, gluing with a little water if necessary. Place dumplings in the refrigerator, uncovered, for about 45 minutes so the dough can rest and chill while the pear itself remains at room temperature.

Make the caramel sauce by bringing sugar, water, vanilla, salt and butter to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. When sugar is melted, add the lemon juice and remove from heat. The sauce will caramelize as the dumplings bake.

Whisk egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of water and use it to brush the pears lightly. Arrange the pastry “leaves” on top and brush them as well. Pour the sugar sauce into the bottom of the dish, surrounding the base of the pears.

Bake for approximately an hour, until pastry is golden and the center of the pears feel very soft when poked with a cake tester. Remove from the oven and let sit while you eat a delightful dinner.

To Serve: Use a spatula to remove each pear, as the bottom may be soft. Place each pear on a plate along with some caramel sauce, mascarpone and a branch of candied thyme. Sprinkle with the remaining toasted pecan pieces and more thyme leaves if you wish.

Serve each person an entire pear dumpling or invite your guests to share one with their next-seat neighbor.