Port And Honey Poached Pears With Lemon Curd Mousse Food

POACHED PEARS WITH HONEY, LEMON BALM AND RAISINS

Steps:

• To prepare pears, place 6 cups of the cold water in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon into the bowl and add the lemon too. Core the pears from the bottom and peel, leaving the stems intact. As you peel each pear, place it in the bowl to prevent it from discoloring. Also place the cores and small pieces in the bowl. After the pears are peeled, wrap the cores and small pieces in the cheesecloth, folded double, and tie tightly with string. Place the remaining 7 cups of cold water and the honey in a pot and stir to dissolve the honey. Add the tangerine peel, raisins, lemon balm and cheesecloth bundle, together with the pears. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and poach the pears at a low boil for 1 1/2 hours, leaving the lid ajar. Touch the pears with the tip of a chopstick. A properly poached pear should give a little; the pears should be soft and have taken on a light beige color. Turn off the heat. Remove the lemon balm, tangerine peel, and cheesecloth bundle from the pot and discard. Transfer each pear to an individual soup plate, sitting it upright, stem up. Divide the sweet soup equally among the plates. There should be about 4 1/2 cups of soup. Divide the raisins equally as well. Garnish each pear by inserting a sprig of mint into it at the stem and serve.

PORT AND HONEY POACHED PEARS WITH LEMON CURD MOUSSE

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan simmer the wine, the Port, and the water with the sugar, the honey, the zest, and the cloves, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and add the pears, peeled, halved, and cored. Simmer the pears, covered, turning them occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are tender, transfer them and the zest with a slotted spoon to a shallow bowl or serving dish, and boil the poaching liquid until it is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. Let the poaching liquid cool, pour it over the pears, and chill the mixture, covered, until it is cold. The poached pears may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Serve the poached pears with the lemon curd mousse.

POACHED PEARS IN HONEY, GINGER AND CINNAMON SYRUP

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.

OVEN-POACHED PEARS WITH LEMON, HONEY AND NUTMEG

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place large baking sheet in oven to heat. Cut 4 sheets of foil, each about 12 inches long. Place 1 foil sheet on work surface. Arrange 6 pear wedges, overlapping slightly, on 1 half of foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon honey. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon currants, 1/4 teaspoon lemon peel and pinch of nutmeg. Fold foil over, enclosing contents completely and crimping edges tightly to seal. Repeat with remaining foil sheets, pears, honey, currants, lemon peel and nutmeg.
• Place foil packets on heated baking sheet. Bake until pears are tender, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• Open foil packets into 4 shallow bowls to retain juices. Top each serving with 3 tablespoons vanilla yogurt.

POACHED PEARS IN GINGER-LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• With a vegetable peeler, pare yellow part only of peel from lemon.
• Cut peel into julienne strips to make 1 table- spoon.
• Ream enough lemon to make 1 tablespoon juice. In a 5 to 6 quart pan, combine lemon peel, lemon juice, ginger, sugar and 3 cups water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add pears and more water, if needed, to cover them.
• Simmer, covered, until pears are tender when pierced, about 30 minutes.
• Put pears in 6 shallow-rimmed dishes or shallow bowls.
• On high heat, boil syrup, uncovered, until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 40 minutes.
• Pour syrup over pears.
• Cool, cover and chill until cold or up to 2 days.