Scarlet Poached Pears Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine lemon zest, cinnamon stick, allspice, ground pepper, apple cider, and water.
• Add pears. Cover with waxed paper to prevent discoloring. Bring to a simmer. Cook, turning pears occasionally, until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Remove pears from liquid; transfer to large bowl.
• Raise heat to high; boil cider mixture until reduced to a syrup, about 15 minutes. Discard cinnamon. Pour syrup over pears; refrigerate. To serve, slice off a sliver from the bottom of each pear (so it stands upright). Serve pears with lemon sorbet, if desired.

Steps:

• Place the white wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean and pulp into a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
• Core the pears from the bottom. Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the pears are tender but not falling apart. Maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pears to a serving dish, standing them upright, and place in the refrigerator.
• Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan, increase the heat to high and reduce the syrup to approximately 1 cup of liquid, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Do not allow the syrup to turn brown. Place the syrup in a heatproof container and place in the refrigerator until cool, approximately 1 hour.
• Remove the pears from the refrigerator, spoon the sauce over the pears and serve.

Steps:

• Bring wine, beet, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and bay leaves to a boil in a 1 1/2- to 2-quarts saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
• Add pears and cover with a round of parchment paper. Simmer, turning occasionally, until pears are tender and liquid is syrupy, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pears to a bowl. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaves and pour syrup over pears. Cool completely in syrup, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, whisk together Merlot (reserving 2 cups), star anise, cinnamon stick, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
• Add pears and remaining 2 cups of Merlot. Allow pears to cook in the wine and flavorings, simmering at a low boil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together mascarpone, sugar, and cream. Add fresh mint, if desired.
• Place a dollop of mascarpone cheese onto each plate. Top with 1 or 2 pears and serve.

Steps:

• In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears, combine the wine, Simple Syrup, cinnamon stick halves, honey, and ginger. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the bean and seeds to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the honey has melted. Add the pears and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender. Remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool.
• Continue to simmer the liquid until it thickens and is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick halves and the vanilla bean and discard.
• Place each pear on a small serving plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with the honey, ginger and cinnamon syrup. Serve immediately.
• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

Steps:

• Szechuan Pepper Ice Cream
• 1. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, and peppercorns and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and allow to infuse for 20 minutes.
• 2. Strain the milk mixture and return it to the saucepan. Reheat until the mixture just begins to boil. Remove from the heat.
• 3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar vigorously until pale. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks, then return this mixture to the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and reaches 175°F (79°C) on an instant-read thermometer; do not let the mixture boil, or the egg yolks will curdle. Remove the pot from the heat. Pass the ice cream base through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Set the bowl in an ice bath and stir frequently until cold. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the ice cream base for at least 4 hours.
• 4. Process the base in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions (be careful not to overchurn the ice cream or it will become grainy). Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.
• Poached Pears with Pomegranate
• 1. In a medium saucepan, bring the pomegranate juice and black pepper to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pears and reduce the heat to medium-low. Poach the pears in the simmering juice until tender, about 15 minutes. Cool completely at room temperature.
• 2. Transfer the pears, still in the liquid, to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Pomegranate Sauce
• Pour the poaching liquid in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil the liquid until it has reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Pass the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and cool.
• Baked Almond Diamonds
• 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy and well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the almond flour and mix until blended. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour and mix until blended. Scrape the almond mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing it into an even layer. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.
• 3. Using a 2-inch-long by 1-inch-wide diamond-shaped pastry cutter, cut out 8 diamonds of baked almond cream. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
• Assembly
• Cut each Poached Pear with Pomegranate in half crosswise and remove the cores from the bottom halves. Place each pear bottom standing up on a plate and top with a slice of Cabrales cheese. Replace the pear tops. Glaze the pears with some of the Pomegranate Sauce, letting some of the sauce drip onto the plates. Place a Baked Almond Diamond on each plate and top with a scoop of Szechuan Pepper Ice Cream.