Editor's note: This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here.
A dessert secret that you should always keep in your back pocket, this recipe can be your last-minute savior provided you've got pastry dough in the freezer and a piece of fruit or two on hand. It takes no time or talent and is glamorous enough for the most special occasions.
Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes
Yield
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Melt the 2/3 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat. Set it aside.
Step 3
Grease a baking sheet with the remaining 1 teaspoon butter.
Step 4
On a floured surface, unroll the dough, cut it into six equal squares, and transfer the squares to the baking sheet.
Step 5
Cover each square with 1/2 cup of the berries or with enough pear or apple slices, attractively overlapping, to blanket all but the pastry edges.
Step 6
Using a basting brush or a spoon, paint the fruit with melted butter, and then sprinkle each square with 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
Step 7
Pop them into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the fruit is tender.
Step 8
Serve with ice cream and a decorative drizzle of caramel sauce, and your guests will think you graduated from the Culinary Academy.