Asian Pear Sorbet Recipes

PEAR SORBET RECIPE

Steps:

• Quarter, core, peel, and roughly chop the pears.
• Put the chopped pears, 1/2 cup of the pear nectar, and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture ​comes to a boil.
• Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook, still stirring when you think of it until the pears are tender and the liquid has thickened a bit, about 10 minutes.
• Whirl the mixture in a blender until very smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and let it come to room temperature.
• Cover and put in the fridge until chilled, usually a few hours (you can speed up this process by putting the pears in a metal mixing bowl, nesting that bowl inside a large bowl filled with ice water, and stirring the mixture until it's chilled).
• Stir in the remaining 1 cup of pear nectar and the fresh lemon juice and freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. If you don't have an ice-cream maker, transfer to a large metal pan or metal mixing bowl and put in the freezer. Stir the mixture every 30 minutes or so, paying special attention to scraping the frozen bits along the side, until it's all frozen. Once it's all frozen, whip it with electric beaters to lighten the texture, if you like, and then refreeze it before serving.

PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• Bloom the gelatin (see page 29).
• Warm a little bit of the pear puree and whisk in the gelatin to dissolve. Whisk in the remaining pear puree, the glucose, elderflower cordial, salt, and citric acid until everything is fully dissolved and incorporated.
• Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. The sorbet is best spun just before serving or using, but it will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
• notes
• We use Poire William puree and elderflower cordial in this recipe; both are easily found at amazon.com.
• With all things fresh and seasonal, it's always important to taste, taste, taste. Make the sorbet base to your liking with more glucose, salt, or citric acid (see page 26).
• Powdered gelatin can be substituted for the sheet gelatin: use 1/2 teaspoon. In a pinch, substitute 18g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose.

PEAR VANILLA SORBET

Steps:

• Place the water in a medium saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of a paring knife, scrape the seeds into the water. Add the pods and the sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add the pears and simmer 10 minutes, or until soft when pierced with a knife and translucent on the surfaces. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, corn syrup or agave nectar, and lemon juice. Allow to cool. Remove the vanilla bean pods from the saucepan.
• Blend the pears with the syrup in a blender until smooth. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
• Chill a container in the freezer. Using an immersion blender, blend the pear mixture for 30 seconds. Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's directions. Transfer to the container and freeze for at least two hours to pack.

PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until pears are tender. Cool slightly. , Pour into a food processor; cover and process for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until firm. , Just before serving, process again in a food processor for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Spoon into dessert dishes.

ASIAN PEAR AND GRAPEFRUIT SALAD WITH _SAKE_ GRANITA AND PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• Combine 3/4 water, sugar, corn syrup, and pinch of salt in large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pear pieces and simmer until pears are very tender, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer mixture to processor and puree until smooth. Chill pear mixture until cold, about 2 hours.
• Process pear mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer pear sorbet to freezer container; cover and freeze until firm. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.
• Pour sake into 8x8x2-inch glass dish. Spoon 2 tablespoons water into heatproof custard cup or small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Pour enough water into small skillet to come 1 inch up sides; bring to boil. Reduce heat to very low. Place cup with gelatin mixture in hot water in skillet. Stir until gelatin dissolves and mixture is fluid, about 1 minute. Remove cup with gelatin mixture from skillet. Pour gelatin mixture into sake and stir to blend well. Freeze sake mixture until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Combine 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool simple syrup until just warm to touch, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut off peel and white pith from all grapefruit. Working over bowl to catch juices and using small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release segments into bowl. Quarter and core Asian pears, then cut lengthwise into very thin slices. Add to bowl with grapefruit.
• Pour warm simple syrup over fruit. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Compote can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
• Arrange 1 layer of pear slices in each of 6 cocktail glasses. Top each with 1 layer of grapefruit segments. Spoon 2 tablespoons syrup from fruit mixture over. Scrape fork all over sake granita to form crystals. Place large spoonful of granita atop fruit in each glass. Top each with 1 more layer of pear slices, then layer of grapefruit segments and scoop of pear sorbet. Garnish with fennel fronds, if desired, and serve.

PEAR AND RED WINE SORBET

Steps:

• Peel, core and quarter the pears. Place them in a medium saucepan with the sugar, red wine, water, cinnamon stick and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the pears are soft and translucent. This will take 15 to 20 minutes if the pears are ripe and soft to begin with, or about 30 minutes if they're somewhat hard. Add the pepper.
• Using tongs, remove the pears to a bowl. Remove the cinnamon stick from the poaching liquid, and discard. Turn up the heat, and reduce until the mixture has the consistency of a thin syrup. (This step may be unnecessary, depending on how long you cooked the pears and how juicy they were.)
• Place the pears, in batches, in a blender, or place all of them in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Purée until smooth. Slowly add the poaching liquid and the lemon juice, and blend together. Transfer to a bowl, and chill. Meanwhile, place a 1-quart container in the freezer.
• Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to the chilled container, and freeze for at least two hours before serving. If frozen solid, allow to soften in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.

PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• Place the water with the sugar and the lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Peel, core and halve the pears. Place in water and poach for 20 or 30 minutes or until soft.
• Puree the pears with their syrup in a food processor. Combine with the poire liqueur. Pour the mixture into an ice tray and freeze until firm. The freezer should be on its coldest setting. Stir once before it is fully set to prevent ice crystals forming.

PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• Cut the pears into 1-inch (3-cm) chunks. Put them in a large, nonreactive saucepan along with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the water. Cover and cook over medium to high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pears are cooked through and tender when poked with a paring knife.
• Transfer the cooked pears to a blender (you should have 2 cups, 500 ml, of purée) and add the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) water, sugar, and lemon juice. Purée until smooth.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Variation
• For Pear-Ginger Sorbet, add 1/4 cup (25 g) very finely chopped candied ginger to the sorbet during the last few minutes of churning.
• Perfect Pairings
• Serve Pear Sorbet with a scoop of Chocolate Sorbet (page 120) or Chocolate Ice Cream (pages 26 and 28).