Brandy Pear Sorbet Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until pears are tender. Cool slightly. , Pour into a food processor; cover and process for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until firm. , Just before serving, process again in a food processor for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Spoon into dessert dishes.

Steps:

• Place the water in a medium saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of a paring knife, scrape the seeds into the water. Add the pods and the sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add the pears and simmer 10 minutes, or until soft when pierced with a knife and translucent on the surfaces. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, corn syrup or agave nectar, and lemon juice. Allow to cool. Remove the vanilla bean pods from the saucepan.
• Blend the pears with the syrup in a blender until smooth. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
• Chill a container in the freezer. Using an immersion blender, blend the pear mixture for 30 seconds. Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's directions. Transfer to the container and freeze for at least two hours to pack.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix 1/3 cup brown sugar with water and lemon juice together in an ungreased baking dish until sugar is dissolved. Arrange pear halves, core side down, in the dish, and baste with the sauce. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake pears in the preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until fork-tender but not mushy.
• Meanwhile, mix nuts together with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons brandy, and the yogurt; set aside. In a separate bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle in white sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons of brandy, or liqueur of choice, and gently whip a few strokes more.
• To serve, place one pear half in the center of each serving plate and fill core cavity with nut stuffing. Top with whipped cream. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Peel, core and quarter the pears. Place them in a medium saucepan with the sugar, red wine, water, cinnamon stick and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the pears are soft and translucent. This will take 15 to 20 minutes if the pears are ripe and soft to begin with, or about 30 minutes if they're somewhat hard. Add the pepper.
• Using tongs, remove the pears to a bowl. Remove the cinnamon stick from the poaching liquid, and discard. Turn up the heat, and reduce until the mixture has the consistency of a thin syrup. (This step may be unnecessary, depending on how long you cooked the pears and how juicy they were.)
• Place the pears, in batches, in a blender, or place all of them in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Purée until smooth. Slowly add the poaching liquid and the lemon juice, and blend together. Transfer to a bowl, and chill. Meanwhile, place a 1-quart container in the freezer.
• Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to the chilled container, and freeze for at least two hours before serving. If frozen solid, allow to soften in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Cut pears into 1-inch cubes. Melt butter in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add pears and saute until they start to brown. Add sugar and cinnamon and cook 5 minutes more, stirring often.
• From a measuring cup (never the bottle), pour brandy over pears. Ignite with a match and cook until flames die down.
• Place a school of Pear Ice Cream and Pear Sorbet in each of 4 bowls. Divide warm compote among bowls and serve.

Steps:

• Cut the pears into 1-inch (3-cm) chunks. Put them in a large, nonreactive saucepan along with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the water. Cover and cook over medium to high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pears are cooked through and tender when poked with a paring knife.
• Transfer the cooked pears to a blender (you should have 2 cups, 500 ml, of purée) and add the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) water, sugar, and lemon juice. Purée until smooth.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Variation
• For Pear-Ginger Sorbet, add 1/4 cup (25 g) very finely chopped candied ginger to the sorbet during the last few minutes of churning.
• Perfect Pairings
• Serve Pear Sorbet with a scoop of Chocolate Sorbet (page 120) or Chocolate Ice Cream (pages 26 and 28).

Steps:

• To make the hard sauce, in a medium bowl set an electric mixer on high and beat the butter until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add confectioners' sugar. When the sugar is incorporated, set the speed back to high. Add the brandy 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until combined. Beat in the nutmeg. Transfer the sauce to a ramekin or bowl, cover and refrigerate. Hard sauce can be made at least a week ahead, but allow it to come to room temperature before serving (about 20 minutes).
• To make the brown betty, heat the Cognac or brandy in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the liquid has come to a simmer, turn off the heat and add the cherries. Allow them to absorb most of the liquid, about 20 minutes.
• While cherries are standing, heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture for sprinkling. Add bread, butter and lemon zest. Toss until sugar has dissolved and bread is completely coated.
• In a shallow 1 1/2-quart gratin dish (or a 9-by-9-inch pan), scatter a little under half the bread cubes. Layer half the pear slices and half the cherries (along with any liquid) on top. Cover with a cup of bread crumbs and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons cider. Layer remaining pears, cherries and bread. Sprinkle top with remaining cider and reserved sugar-and-spice mixture.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Take off foil and continue baking, until crumbs are golden brown and pears are very soft, about 15 minutes more. Serve warm with dollops of hard sauce.