The Ultimate Dessert Sauce Red Wine Caramel Food

RED WINE REDUCTION DESSERT SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together in a saucepan; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces, about 30 minutes.

BOSC PEARS POACHED IN RED WINE CARAMEL

Steps:

• Peel pears, leaving stems intact, and cut a thin slice from bottom of each if necessary to enable pears to stand upright when served. Set aside.
• Put sugar in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and melt over moderate heat until it begins to caramelize. Continue to cook, keeping a close eye and the sugar constantly circulating. Cook until the sugar is a deep golden caramel. Stir in the butter carefully, as the mixture may bubble up. Simmer and stir until caramel sauce has developed, about 5 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean.
• Carefully arrange pears in the poaching liquid. They should be completely covered by the liquid, add water if they are not. Simmer pears, turning them occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Test by inserting a knife into the fattest part of the pear, it should come out with no resistance. Finish off with lemon juice to wake up the flavor. Gently remove the pears to a serving dish, cut side down. Pour the wine syrup over the pears. Serve with gorgonzola and candied walnuts.

CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful - the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don't worry - the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.
• Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

RED-WINE CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a small heavy saucepan, then add pod and wine. Boil over moderate heat until wine is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Discard pod.
• While wine is reducing, bring sugar and water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, washing down any sugar crystals on side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, until syrup turns pale golden. Continue to cook caramel, swirling pan, until deep golden.
• Remove from heat, then carefully pour wine down side of pan (caramel will vigorously steam and harden). Simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter and serve warm.

QUICK RED-WINE DESSERT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine wine, sugar, and cinnamon stick; cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil; cook until mixture is syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

WARM APPLE TART WITH DATE ICE CREAM AND RED WINE-CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the ice cream: Prepare an ice water bath. Place the dates, vanilla bean pulp, heavy cream, half-and-half, and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl and slowly pour in the hot cream mixture. Puree the cream mixture until smooth, return to the saucepan, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and cool in the ice water bath. Freeze in an ice cream machine and keep frozen until ready to use.
• To prepare the dough: Using an electric mixer or by hand, combine the flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until pebble-sized balls form. Add the egg yolk and water all at one time and mix until the dough just comes together. Remove the dough from the mixer, pat into a disc, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• To prepare the caramel: Place the sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the butter and vanilla pulp and cook for 2 minutes. Add the apple wedges and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the apples are half cooked. Remove the apples from the caramel and reserve both separately.
• To prepare the tart: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and carefully press into an 8- or 9-inch tart ring, trimming any excess. Place the tart ring on a parchment-lined sheet pan and sprinkle 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans in the bottom of the shell. Pinwheel the apple slices in the tart and brush with some of the caramel sauce. Bake the tart for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• To prepare the red wine-caramel sauce: Place the red wine in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Add the remaining caramel sauce to the red wine reduction and whisk until smooth. Fold in the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans and keep warm.
• Cut the tart into 8 pieces and place a piece in the center of each plate. Spoon the red wine-caramel sauce around the tart and top the tart with a scoop of the date ice cream.