Ice Cream With Figs Poached In Port And Star Anise Food

STAR ANISE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, bring the milk, heavy cream, star anise, and vanilla bean to a simmer for a few minutes. Turn off, and allow to steep for 10 minutes.
• Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together, long enough to dissolve the sugar.
• Temper hot liquid into egg mixture. Return all back into saucepan. Over low heat stirring all the while until mixture starts to thicken, strain through chinois. Chill immediately over ice bath.
• Churn in a standard ice cream machine.

ICE CREAM WITH FIGS POACHED IN PORT AND STAR ANISE

Steps:

• Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until figs soften, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer figs to bowl. Increase heat to high and boil poaching liquid until syrupy and reduced to 1 1/3 cups, about 20 minutes. Pour syrup over figs in bowl. Cool. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Scoop ice cream into dessert goblets. Remove star anise and vanilla bean from fig mixture. Spoon figs and syrup over ice cream and serve.
• Brown star-shaped seedpods available at Asian markets and specialty foods stores and in the spice section of some supermarkets.

FIGS POACHED IN PORT

Steps:

• Combine the port sugar, vanilla pods and seeds, cinnamon, orange peel and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer until the liquid has the consistency of a light syrup, about 20 minutes. You will have about 1 1/2 cups of syrup. Add the figs and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool the figs in the syrup. Serve the figs in a bowl with their juices spooned over.

SPICED POACHED FIGS

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, lemon peel, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, star anise, and cardamom in a small, deep saucepan. Place pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Cover, and simmer 20 minutes more.
• Add whole figs to the syrup; return to a simmer, cover, and poach gently until the figs are soft but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer figs and syrup to a bowl, and let stand to cool, until no more steam rises. When cool, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Combine mascarpone and confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Slit vanilla bean lengthwise, and, using a small paring knife, scrape out the seeds into the bowl with the mascarpone mixture. Stir together with a spoon or rubber spatula until well combined.
• Remove chilled figs from the refrigerator, and let stand until room temperature. Transfer figs to another bowl, and strain syrup, discarding the solids.
• Place 2 figs, sliced in half, in the center of each plate. Spoon some of the poaching liquid to cover plate, and place a dollop of vanilla mascarpone next to figs.

POACHED PEARS WITH STAR ANISE

Steps:

• Combine Port, sugar, 1/2 cup water and star anise in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add pears; simmer until tender and liquid is reduced to thin syrup, turning pears occasionally, about 25 minutes. Cool pears in syrup. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Slice pears and fan on plates. Drizzle syrup over. Spoon ice cream alongside.

STAR ANISE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan combine the milk, the cream, the sugar, and the star anise, bring the mixture just to a boil, and remove the pan from the heat.
• In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, add the cream mixture in a stream, whisking, and pour the mixture back into the pan.
• Cook the custard over moderately low heat, stirring, until it registers 170ºF on a candy thermometer, strain it through a fine sieve set over another bowl, and let it cool completely.
• Stir in the Pernod and freeze the custard in an ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions.