POACHED PEAR, PUFF PASTRY, PISTACHIO ICE CREAM Volcano Union Inn & Pub
Ingredients
Poached pear:
4 firm, ripe pears
2 cups dry red wine (cabernet or merlot)
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
1 orange, juiced (about 1/2 cup)
1 (1 by 3-inch) strip orange rind
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 star anise
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
- Peel pears and remove core from the bottom.
- Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat so liquid remains hot but is not simmering or boiling.
- Weigh down pears with a plate to keep them in poaching liquid.
- Cook at a very low temperature for about 6 hours or until pear has read wine color all the way through.
- Cool pears off in poaching liquid, making sure they stay submerged.
- Once completely cool, strain off spices through a fine mesh sieve.
- Reduce liquid until it has a syrup-like consistency. Allow to cool until needed.
Puff Pastry:
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons salt
2 cups water, or as needed
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- Mix flour and salt together and sift through a mesh strainer to get all clumps out. Add flour to a stand mixer with a dough hook. Slowly add the water until the dough pulls away from the sides; make sure the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of bowl. You may have some water left over. Shape dough into a flat ball and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Make sure to cover dough with plastic wrap so it does not dry out.
- Place butter in between two pieces of plastic wrap on counter and roll out flat using a rolling pin or dowel. Refrigerate butter until it hardens.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle that is around ½ inch thick. Place the chilled butter in the center of the dough and fold dough over to completely encase the butter.
- Roll dough out into a large rectangle again to about ½ inch thick; making sure that the butter does not break through the dough. You have to work quickly in order to keep the dough cold and workable. If it warms up too much it will be hard to work with.
- Fold the dough into thirds then rotate the dough by 90 degrees and roll it into a large rectangle again that is ½ inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds again and place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until hardened.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 twice. Refrigerate dough and reserve until needed.
- Roll dough out to desired thickness (we rolled it out to ¼ inch and cut into star shaped pieces).
- Brush dough with egg wash (1 part egg + 1 part water). Bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Pistachio Ice Cream:
2 Tablespoons pistachio paste
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
- Combine pistachio paste, vanilla extract, milk, cream, and half the sugar in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil then turn off heat.
- Combine egg yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl, incorporate well.
- Temper dairy mixture into yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream until all of dairy mixture is incorporated into yolk mixture.
- Return back to pot and cook until ice cream base is nappe consistency (coats the back of a spoon).
- Chill ice cream base in ice bath until completely cooled, covering surface of mixture with plastic wrap while chilling.
- Place in ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and store in freezer until needed.
Directions
Pour enough poached liquid into bowl to cover the bottom.
Spoon one rounded scoop of pistachio ice cream into liquid.
Place one half of a poached pear on one side of ice cream.
Place a piece of puff pastry beside ice cream and pear.
Garnish with additional pistachios, if desired.
Recipe courtesy of Chef Michael Hom of Volcano Union Inn & Pub