Cider Poached Pears

w/ blue cheese, cider pickled fennel & macadamia nuts

I am very fond of blue cheese, yet I hated the stuff  when I was a kid, and that was before I had even tasted it. A large part of my desire to become a chef was my awakening to the flavours and culinary possibilities I had shied away from in my early years.

These moreish pears poached in cider and caramel are beautiful even served with just a dollop of mascarpone cheese. - Kyle Street

 

"Another ripper from Kyle, right up my ‘sweet tooth alley’!" - Al Brown

 

Serves 6.

 

Ingredients…

 

Cider-poached pears

 

-1 Kg                          Pears

-300 gm                     Sugar

-1/2 tsp                      Fennel Seed

-1                                Star Anise

-1                                Bay Leaf

-2 Cups                      Pear Cider

-1 Cup                        Apple Juice  

 

Pickled Fennel

-2 Large                     Fennel Bulb

-1/2 Cup                    Cider Vinegar

-1/2 Cup                    Chardonnay Vinegar

-2 Tbsp                      Sugar

-1 Cup                        Water

-1 tsp                          Fennel seed

-6                                White peppercorn

-6                                Juniper Berries

 

Burnt butter dressing 

-100 gm                     Salted Butter, cut into large cubes

-1                                Lemon

-2 Tbsp                      Vincotto

-2 Tbsp                      Macadamia Oil

 

Method… 

 

Step 1. Cider-poached pears

 

Prepare the pears by peeling, halving, and removing the cores and stalks.

 

Place the sugar in a large saucepan on medium heat. Cook without stirring until the sugar begins to turn golden. Now stir the sugar to even out the caramel colour. Add in the fennel seeds, star anise and bay leaf and cook caramel until a rich amber colour. Pour in the cider and apple juice, being mindful that it will steam up when the liquid hits the sugar.

 

Place prepared pears in the liquid. Cover with baking paper and submerge the pears, using a small plate to weight them down. Cook on low simmer for 5 minutes , then remove from the heat and cool in the liquid.

Refrigerate until required.

  

Step 2. Pickled Fennel

Prepare your fennel by cutting in half, removing the cores and tops, then slice into thin strips. Place in a bowl along with some of the green fennel fronds.

 

Place the two vinegars, sugar, water, fennel seeds, white peppercorns, juniper berries and bay leaf in a small saucepan. Heat until simmering, then pour over sliced fennel. Cover with cling wrap and cool on the bench.

 

Refrigerate until required. Leave for 24 hours for best results.

 

Step 3. Burnt Butter Dressing

 

Place the diced butter in a saucepan on medium heat.

Swirl it around the saucepan until frothy and nutty. Once the butter is a rich brown colour, squeeze in the lemon juice to stop the cooking. Beware of steam.

 

Pour butter mix through a sieve into a measuring jug, and cool for 5 minutes. Using a wand blender, blitz in the vincotto and macadamia oil until emulsified.

Keep dressing in an airtight container until required.

 

Step 4. Cooking and Serving

Ingredients…

-                                   Cider Poached Pears (drained)

-                                   Cider Pickled Fennel (drained)

-2 handfuls                Rocket

-50 gm                       Blue Cheese

-1/2 Cup                    Macadamia Nuts (toasted)

-                                   Burnt Butter Dressing

-                                   Flakey Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

 

Method…

Heat your grill pan to smoking hot. 

Lightly oil and season the pears with salt and pepper. Chargrill for 5 minutes on each side to caramelise and heat through. Remove from the grill and cut each half into 4 pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly toss together the grilled pear, pickled fennel, rocket, blue cheese and chopped nuts. Shake up your dressing and lightly coat the salad. Season to taste.

Place your grilled pear salad on serving plates and finish off with an extra hit of the dressing.