Caramelpearsbellehelene Recipes

PEARS BELLE HELENE

Steps:

• Peel, halve, and core the pears and sprinkle over them the lemon juice to stop them from discoloring. In a wide shallow pan (in which the pears will fit in 1 layer - otherwise cook them in batches) put 1 1/4 cups water, the sugar, and the vanilla bean, if using. Bring to a boil, stirring every now and again to make sure the sugar dissolves, then lower the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, if using. Put the pears into the liquid, cut side down, and raise the heat again so that the syrup boils up and the pears are covered by it. You may need to spoon the syrup over. After half a minute or so, lower the heat, then cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes; turn the pears, cover the pan again, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Continue poaching until the pears are cooked and translucent; they should feel tender (but not soggy) when pierced. They may need more or less cooking time - it depends on the pears. Take off the heat, keep covered, and leave to cool.
• Now the chocolate sauce: place the chocolate, broken up into small pieces, in a thick-bottomed pan with the coffee and sugar and melt over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Then pour in the cream, still stirring, and when it is very hot pour into a warmed sauceboat or a bowl with a ladle.
• To serve, arrange pears cut side down on a big flat plate and pour some syrup over. (Any remaining syrup will keep in the refrigerator or freezer and can be used to pour over apples or other fruit when making pies or crumbles. You can wash the vanilla pod, wipe it and put it in a canister of sugar.) Offer with ice cream, sauce, and pistachios, if using, served separately; allow diners to help themselves.

QUICK & EASY CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add pears, one cut side down, and cook until browned, then reduce heat to medium and cook 3 minutes. Turn pears to other cut side and cook 4 minutes. Add sugar and 1 tablespoon water, swirling pan to combine. Turn pears skin side down and cook until sauce is thickened slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Serve warm with ice cream.

BLACK PEPPER AND BOURBON CARAMEL CHEWS

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment and coat with cooking spray.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, combine sugar, cream, honey, bourbon and salt. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Cook mixture, stirring frequently, until it reaches 245 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the pot. Quickly stir in butter and pepper.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan. Let cool completely until it is set to a semi-firm consistency, about an hour. Cut into 50 rectangular pieces and wrap in parchment paper, cellophane or other candy wrappers, twisting ends to seal.

ROASTED PEARS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a baking pan large enough to hold the pears in a single layer: set in the heating oven until it melts.
• Sprinkle sugar over melted butter, then place pears, cut side down, on top. Bake until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, turn pears over and baste with pan sauce. Return to oven; bake until golden and glossy, about 10 minutes longer.
• Let cool slightly. Transfer pears to dessert plates or bowls. Top each with dollop of sour cream, drizzle with caramel pan sauce, sprinkle with nuts and serve.

CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, combine brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes. Add pears; cook and stir until pears are tender, 5-10 minutes longer. Serve over ice cream if desired.

THE REDNECK'S BEST CARAMELS

Steps:

• Butter a square pan and line it with foil. Butter the foil as well.
• Combine ingredients in a heavy pan except vanilla. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into the pan and set on a wire rack. Cool completely. Turn out and cut into squares and wrap in waxed paper.
• For caramel apples: Wash and dry apples completely (air dry is best) and stick the sticks into the BOTTOM of the apples. They will sit better if you stick them from the bottom instead of the top. Make the caramel and dip the apples and sit them on buttered waxed paper. I tried parchment paper and it didn't work as well as I'd hoped. I always eat any excess caramel with a spoon~a yummy treat for the hard-working chef!

CARAMELIZED PEARS WITH BLUE CHEESE AND CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the water in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and pour the sugar into the center of the pan, taking care not to let the crystals adhere to the sides of the pan.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is bubbling wildly.
• Add the pears to the skillet, cut-side down, cover, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook until the pears are nearly tender (a paring knife inserted into the center of the pears feels slight resistance), 13 to 15 minutes.
• Uncover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the sauce is golden brown and the cut sides of the pears are partly caramelized, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Pour the salt and heavy cream around the pears and cook, shaking the pan back and forth, until the sauce is a smooth, deep caramel color and the cut sides of the pears are beautifully golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and using tongs, carefully remove the pears from the pan and place cut-side up on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.
• Cool slightly.
• Pour the sauce remaining in the pan into a liquid measuring cup.
• Carefully (the pears will still be hot) stand each pear half upright on an individual plate and arrange a wedge of the blue cheese beside it.
• Drizzle the plate and some of the pear with the caramel sauce.
• Serve immediately.

POACHED PEARS BELLE HELENE

Steps:

• Place water in a heavy pot. Stir in zest and juice of 1 lemon. Place pears in pot. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and split pods to the poaching liquid. Pour in sugar.
• Bring pot to a simmer over medium-high heat; stir gently to dissolve sugar with minimal jostling of the pears. Reduce heat so pears continue cooking over a steady, gentle simmer. Pears need to stay submerged, so place a small plate over them in the pot to keep them under the liquid. Simmer until pears are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Remove plate to test the pears for doneness.) Remove pot from heat and let pears cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid.
• Transfer pears and vanilla beans to a storage container and cover with some of the poaching liquid. Cover and refrigerate until pears are thoroughly chilled, several hours or overnight. Reserve all of the poaching liquid (see footnote).
• Heat hot fudge sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Dip base of pear into the chocolate and spoon chocolate along the sides except for the top inch or so of the pear.
• Place dipped pears in individual serving bowls with another generous spoonful of syrup and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

CARAMEL PEAR BLONDIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 20 x 20cm square cake tin.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, swirling it around. Allow to bubble for a few minutes, or until it turns a light golden brown and smells biscuity. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
• Tip the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk together with the light and dark sugars until just combined. Whisk through the melted butter, vanilla and salt.
• Gently fold through the flour, baking powder, dried pears and most of the chocolate chunks, being careful not to overmix (this will make the blondies dense).
• Pour the mixture into the lined tin. Top with the remaining chocolate and dollops of the caramel. Put in the centre of the oven to bake for 40 mins, or until a skewer inserted comes out with sticky crumbs (it shouldn't be wet). Leave to cool completely in the tin. It will sink a little - the centre should be slightly squidgy. Cut into 12 squares. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.