Poached Pears In Red Currant Sauce With Chocolate Decadence Cake Recipes

SPICED RED WINE POACHED PEARS WITH VANILLA MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, orange peel, orange juice, cinnamon stick and cloves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
• While poaching liquid is simmering, peel pears, leaving the stem intact and being careful not to bruise the pears.
• Slice a small amount from the bottom of the pears to create a flat bottom if necessary so the pears stand upright.
• Gently place the pears in the poaching liquid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes (depending upon size), turning every 5 minutes with a slotted spoon to ensure even color. Pears should be cooked but still firm.
• Cool at room temperature, turning occasionally to ensure even color.
• When the pears have cooled to room temperature, refrigerate in the liquid at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally to maintain even color.
• To serve: Remove pears from poaching liquid and place on a serving plate.
• Strain poaching liquid and place back in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until reduced by at least half. Liquid should be slightly syrupy. Let cool to room temperature.
• Drizzle pears with sauce and serve with Vanilla Mascarpone Whipped Cream.
• Combine cream, mascarpone, sugar and vanilla extract in a small, deep bowl. Beat until thick and the consistency of whipped cream, about 5-7 minutes. Serve with pears.

CLAFOUTIS AUX CERISES (CLASSIC CLAFOUTI)

Steps:

• Combine milk and vanilla bean in a pot and steep for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch baking dish with butter. Spread out cherries in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a bowl. Add eggs one at a time; beat with an electric mixer after each addition until smooth and creamy.
• Remove vanilla bean from milk and discard. Add milk to egg mixture. Pour in heavy cream; mix until smooth. Pour mixture evenly over cherries.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top of clafoutis is golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar on top. Let cool slightly before serving so that the clafoutis is set. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RED WINE POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients (except pears) in a saucepan. Make sure the saucepan is large enough for the pears to fit snugly in there, with just enough wiggle room for the pears to submerge in the poaching liquid at an angle as well.
• Bring the red wine to a simmer while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• When the wine comes to a simmer, strain the red wine liquid (IF YOU USED FRESH FRUITS), to remove the seeds or fruit pulp. Discard the seeds and pulp, but NOT the cloves, orange peel and cinnamon. Add the cinnamon, cloves and peel back into the liquid and return the liquid back to the saucepan. You can skip this step if you didn't use fresh fruits with seeds and pulp.
• Peel the pears ONLY when the poaching liquid is ready (pears will discolor if you peel them too early).
• Lower the peeled pears into the poaching liquid.
• Let the pears poach in the liquid on medium-low heat (simmering) for 20 - 25 minutes, but rotate the pears every 5 minutes to ensure they poach evenly on all sides, including the tops of the pears.
• When the pears have been poached, keep them upright in the poaching liquid, and remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the pears to cool down in the poaching liquid.
• I prefer to serve poached pears chilled, but they can be served at room temperature as well.
• Before serving, remove the pears from the poaching liquid and leave them on a plate, covered with plastic wrap.
• Heat the remaining liquid in the saucepan, and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes until the liquid thickens slightly into a syrup. The cooking time depends on how much liquid is left, so keep an eye on it. If the syrup is too thick, add a little water to thin it out.
• Serve the pears on a serving plate, and brush them a little with the syrup to make the pears look shiny (optional).
• Pour a little syrup over individual pears, and serve with some whipped mascarpone cheese or whipped cream.

PEARS IN RED WINE WITH A FRESH CHEESE FILLING

Steps:

• Pears: Peel the pears and core them whole using a melon baller to scoop out the pulp from the bottom. In a large saucepan, place the wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks and orange peel and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and add the pears. Simmer them for about 30 minutes until fork tender. Baste the pears occasionally to make sure they absorb the wine evenly. Remove the pears from the poaching liquid, remove the cinnamon stick and reduce the liquid to 1 cup. Set it aside to cool.
• Filling: Place the cream cheese, sugar and brandy in a food processor and blend. Transfer it to a bowl and fold in the whipped cream. Place it in a pastry bag with a plain tip and fill the pears. Place them in a shallow serving bowl and pour the reduced liquid over them. Chill.
• Sauce: Puree the strawberries with the sugar and chill. To serve the dish, cover the pears with the strawberry puree.

POACHED PEAR CAKE WITH MARZIPAN

Steps:

• Peel the pears with a peeler. Halve the lemon and gather the juice in a pot. Add the sugar to the lemon juice and toss in the squeezed out lemon halves. Now place the peeled pears upright in the pot with the top facing up. Now fill the pot with white wine, add the whole spices and heat everything in the pot.
• The pears should be completely covered with liquid. If your pot is too big, you may have to add more wine or water. Bring the mixture almost to a boil, then turn the temperature down and let it simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes. It shouldn't boil anymore! Turn the fruit every now and then so that they cook evenly. Then let the pears cool completely in the syrup. Drain before using in the batter.
• Preheat the oven to 170 C - 340 F
• Drain the pears on paper towels and pat dry. Cut off the rounded bottom of the poached pears so that they can stand upright in the cake pan without falling over. Grease the mold well. Heat the butter with marzipan and milk in a saucepan and cook everthing. Stir constantly using a whisk. Stir in 3 tablespoons of amaretto and allow the mix to cool.
• Mix the flour, almonds, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.
• Beat the sugar and eggs until frothy and then slowly stir in the cooled marzipan mixture. Sift the flour mixture over the batte and work it in carefully. Finally stir in the yoghurt and add another tbsp of Amaretto.
• Place pears in the springform pan.
• Pour the batter around the pears until only the slim neck of the pears peeks out.
• To bake:
• The cake has to bake for about 50 minutes -1 hour. Test for doneness after 50 minutes and cover the cake with aluminum foil after 30 minutes in the oven so that your pears don't get wrinkly!
• Drizzle the finished cake with a few tablespoons of soaking syrup.
• Serve still warm with a dusting of icing sugar!

BATUM CHOCOLATTA

Steps:

• Combine the Lillet, creme de cacao, rum, orange liqueur and heavy cream in a cocktail shaker with ice; shake vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Dust with cocoa powder. Photograph by Kana Okada