Green Tea Poached Pears With Pistachio Brittle Recipes

Steps:

• Bring all ingredients except pears to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel pears and cut in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out core and seeds from each half, leaving stems intact. Trim fibrous strip from center with a paring knife. Gently lower pears into pot. If not completely covered by liquid, lay a piece of parchment paper directly on pears.
• Cook until a paring knife slides easily into pears, meeting slight resistance, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool in liquid 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a large bowl; cover with parchment paper. Cook liquid over medium heat until syrupy, about 15 minutes; discard vanilla pod and ginger. Let cool. Serve two pear halves in each bowl; spoon syrup over pears.

Steps:

• Place tea in a glass measuring cup or a teapot. Bring 2 cups water to a simmer, and pour over tea. Steep for 4 minutes.
• Strain tea into a medium pot. Stir in sugar, grapefruit zest, and remaining 1 cup water. Gently simmer, stirring, until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
• Add grapefruit juice and pears to pot. Cook, adjusting heat so that steam rises from surface but no bubbles appear, until pears are slightly translucent and just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, divide pears among 4 dishes, and let cool slightly.
• Return liquid to a gentle simmer. Cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Pour over pears. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Pears can be refrigerated in syrup for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• In a saucepan just large enough to hold pears on their sides, combine 5 cups water, vinegar, sugar, rosemary, and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
• Arrange pears on their sides in a single layer in poaching liquid. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer pears to a plate. If making in advance, let pears cool; then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
• Bring poaching liquid to a boil; cook until slightly syrupy, deep brown in color, and reduced to 3/4 cup, 35 to 40 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (discard solids). If storing, transfer syrup to a covered container, and refrigerate up to 3 days. (Store pears and syrup separately.)
• Serve pears chilled or at room temperature: Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear so it can stand upright. Place one on each of four serving plates along with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Drizzle with syrup.

Steps:

• Finely grind pistachios and 3 tablespoons sugar in processor. Transfer nut mixture to heavy medium saucepan; add milk and bring to boil. Whisk remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, yolks, and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same pan; whisk constantly over medium-high heat until mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk butter into pastry cream, 1 piece at a time. Transfer pastry cream to bowl; press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Stir in cream. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Bring wine, sugar, orange peel, and lemon peel to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pears; bring to simmer. Cut parchment paper round to fit pan; press paper atop pears. Partially cover pan; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until pears are tender, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer pears and poaching liquid to medium bowl. Cool to room temperature. (Pears can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir sugar and 2 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns medium amber color, occasionally brushing down pan sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan. Immediately add pistachios; stir until caramel is deep amber and coats nuts. Immediately spread nuts on prepared baking sheet, separating any clumps. Cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk and blend in using on/off turns until moist clumps form. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Freeze crust 15 minutes.
• Bake crust until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Remove pears from poaching liquid. Pour poaching liquid into medium saucepan; boil until syrup is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Chill wine syrup until cold.
• Cut pears lengthwise in half. Scoop out cores and center veins; cut off stems. Place pears, cut side down, on triple-thick layer of paper towels. Cover with triple-thick layer of paper towels. Pat pears dry, changing paper towels as needed to absorb excess liquid. Cut each pear half lengthwise into 4 to 6 slices.
• Spread pastry cream in crust. Arrange pear slices decoratively atop pastry cream, covering completely. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover loosely and chill.)
• Scatter caramelized pistachios over tart. Cut tart into wedges and serve with wine syrup.

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cut out a parchment-paper circle the diameter of your saucepan; set aside. Add tea bags to boiling water, remove saucepan from heat, and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing excess liquid into the saucepan, and discard. Add sugar, ginger, orange peel, vanilla pod and seeds to the tea; stir to dissolve sugar. Bring tea mixture to a simmer over medium high heat; cook 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel pears, leaving stems intact. Using a melon baller, scoop out the seeds and core from the bottom of each pear. Add pears to saucepan; reduce heat maintaining a gentle simmer. Cover pears with the parchment-paper circle to keep them submerged. Cook until just tender, about 20 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove pears. Strain cooking liquid; discard solids. Return cooking liquid to saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes.
• Place pears on plates and spoon about 2 tablespoons syrup over each pear. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone and brittle. Any remaining syrup can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week. Drizzle over ice cream, if desired.