Poached Pears with Pear Ice Cream

According to Paul, this may be the most delicious dessert I have ever invented. He was delirious was joy. The idea came to me after poaching pears and being left with close to a quart of aromatic syrup. My first experiment was to make pear granita with the syrup, which was also lovely. (Simply pour the quart of cold syrup into a 9 x 13" dish, stick it into your freezer, and stir it frequently until it the texture becomes slushy and opaque.) Yesterday I went a step further and used a bit of the syrup as a base for French-style still-frozen ice cream. I still have most of a quart of syrup left, so we'll have granita again later in the week.

Poached Pears

6 pears, at any stage of ripeness except squishy
5 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole star anise
2 whole cloves
1 1-inch chunk fresh ginger

Peel pears with a vegetable peeler or a small sharp knife, leaving stems on. With a melon baller, cut out the blossom end and dig out the core.

Combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the pears into the syrup, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook till the pears are tender (10-30 minutes, depending on ripeness). Turn the pears every few minutes as they cook.

Let them cool in the syrup. Then lift them out with a slotted spoon. Strain the syrup. Refrigerate in separate containers until needed.


Pear Ice Cream

6 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup strained pear syrup

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Using a heavy-duty stand mixer and a whip attachment, combine the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla. Starting slowly and gradually increasing the mixer speed to high, beat eat the whites until they are stiff. Let rest in the bowl for a few minutes.

Pour the pear syrup into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Over high heat, bring it to a boil. When large, thick bubbles appear (in 2-3 minutes), pour the syrup into a heat-safe measuring cup.

Immediately turn the mixer speed to medium and begin beating the egg-white mixture again. As the mixer runs, slowly pour a stream of hot syrup into the eggs. The hot syrup will cook the eggs, and they will become smooth and glossy. (This is a version of meringue italienne.) Once you have finished pouring in the syrup, continue beating for another 5 minutes or so to cool the egg whites. Let rest.

Using a clean mixer bowl and whip, combine the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat at medium-high speed until the whip leaves light marks on the cream.

With a rubber spatula, delicately fold the cream into the meringue. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours.

For each serving, place two scoops of ice cream into a dessert bowl. Arrange a poached pear on top of the ice cream. Grate a bit of semisweet chocolate over each pear.