1 Preheat oven to 375°F. To make the crust, combine all ingredients (flour through vanilla) in a bowl. Using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour. Do not knead. Rub the flour and butter till it forms a crumbly mixture.

2 Press the crumbs into a ball. Cover the dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3 While the dough is in the fridge, work on the pears. Peel the pears. Make a thin slice on the bottom of the pears so that they can sit stably. Core the pears and remove the seeds.

4 Crush the walnuts lightly. Combine them with the brown sugar and flour. Fill the cored inside of the pear with the walnut-sugar mixture. Pack the mixture into the pear cavity.

5 When the dough is chilled, take it out of the fridge and divide it into two. Roll out each portion into a rough round.

6 Place a pear in the middle of one dough round. Lift the sides of the dough up and press together over the pear to form a parcel. This doesn’t have to be perfect.

7 Pinch off any excess dough. Patch up any empty spots (dip you finger tips in water to seal edges).

8 Brush the pear parcels with milk or egg wash. Bake in the over for 50-60 minutes or until the pear parcels are golden.

9 Cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

10 Serve with lemon chamomile sauce (recipe below), ice cream or whipped cream.

Lemon Chamomile Sauce

1. Boil the water in a sauce pan. When the water comes to a boil, add the chamomile tea bags. Boil for 30 seconds. Turn off heat and let the tea steep for about 7 minutes. Remove tea bags.
2. Turn the heat back on and add all the remaining ingredients to the tea. Simmer till the sauce has reduced to about 60% of its original volume.
3. Serve with baked pear parcels.

Source: www.usapears.org