Pear Gelato With Chocolate Phyllo Cookies Recipes

DEEPLY CHOCOLATE GELATO

Steps:

• Heat the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar in a 2-quart saucepan, until the sugar dissolves and the milk starts to simmer. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour into a heat-proof measuring cup.
• Place the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and very thick. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Pour the egg and chocolate mixture back into the 2-quart saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. A candy thermometer will register about 180 degrees F. Don't allow the mixture to boil!
• Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl and stir in the coffee liqueur, vanilla, and salt. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and chill completely.
• Pour the custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. Stir in the roughly chopped chocolate, if using, and freeze in covered containers. Allow the gelato to thaw slightly before serving.

SPICY PEAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In large bowl, beat margarine and sugar untill smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger; mix into batter. Stir in chopped pears, chopped nuts and raisins.
• Drop about two inches apart by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets and bake 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center springs back when lightly touched. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• Combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Spoon icing over coookies.

PEAR STRUDEL IN PHYLLO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200C; line a large baking tray with baking paper.
• Combine pears, half the walnuts and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a bowl.
• Place a sheet of pastry onto workbench. Spray with oil. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs. Top with another layer of pastry.
• Repeat with oil, breadcrumbs and pastry to form 8 layers.
• Spoon peach mixture along one long edge of pastry, leaving a 4cm border at short ends. Fold ends in and roll up. Lift onto prepared tray.
• Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with remaining sugar, walnuts and cinnamon.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until pastry is golden. Stand for 10 minutes.

AMARETTO PEAR GELATO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the pear or apple juice, amaretto, and 1/2 cup sugar. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pears and poach for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tender but not falling apart. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to a plate. Reduce the cooking liquid for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool. Stir in the cream. Cover and refrigerate the pears and liquid separately until needed.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and salt. Heat over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat and cover to keep hot.
• In a blender or food processor, blend the 2/3 cup sugar and the egg yolks together until very thick and smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the hot milk.
• Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon, Remove the pan from heat and set it in a bowl if ice water. Stir for 2 minutes to cool the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.
• Chop 6 of the pear halves, refrigerate the remaining 6 for serving. In a blender or food processor, puree the chilled custard and the chopped pears until smooth. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• To serve, arrange a pear half on each plate. Reheat the reduced cooking liquid. Scoop gelato on top of each pear half, spoon some of the reduced cooking liquid over, and garnish with chopped hazelnuts. Makes 1 1/2 quarts, serves 6.

SALTED CARAMEL PEAR PHYLLO TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Brush 1 sheet fillo dough with melted butter, then gently press into bottom and sides of 9-inch tart pan, letting ends extend over edges of pan.
• Repeat with remaining fillo dough, brushing each layer with butter and arranging in pan in rotation so corners of dough do not overlap. Fold in edges of dough, slightly pinching sides to form crust.
• Arrange pear slices in decorative circles in prepared crust. Sprinkle top with sugar and cubes of butter.
• Bake 45 minutes until crust is deep golden brown and pear topping is cooked. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack; leave oven on.
• Meanwhile, in small saucepan over medium heat, heat sugar until dissolved. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, carefully swirling pan, until sugar begins to caramelize and turn amber in color. Remove from heat; stir in butter and salt until combined. Stir in heavy cream.
• Return saucepan to stovetop over medium heat; continue to cook sauce 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and smooth. Remove from heat.
• Carefully and quickly brush top of tart with caramel sauce (you may need to reheat sauce over medium heat if it becomes too thick). Be sure to brush both crust and pear topping (there may be some caramel sauce left over). Return tart to oven and bake 10 minutes until caramel is melted and just begins to bubble.
• Return tart to cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.

PEAR GELATO WITH CHOCOLATE PHYLLO COOKIES

Steps:

• For the Gelato: Using a spoon, scoop the flesh from the peel of the pear into a medium bowl preserving all the juice. Stir in the lemon juice, mashing up any larger pieces of pear. Set aside. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan, bring cream and vanilla beans to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and eggs. Mix in a bit of the hot cream mixture. Then, slowly pour the egg mixture back into cream mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture coats the back of a spoon (do not boil, or it will curdle). Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 or 10 minutes. Then, stir in the pear mixture and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Once good and cool, transfer to your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer's instructions. For the Cookies: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment. Brush a sheet of phyllo with butter and lay it butter side down on the parchment. Then, brush the top, from the inside of the sheet out to the edges. Add another sheet of phyllo and brush lightly with butter. Repeat with the remaining sheets. With the top sheet, give the edges a bit of an extra coating. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper, and top with another baking sheet (this will help the phyllo to stay flat). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it's golden brown. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Then, cut into strips or any desired shapes (triangles make nice cookies too). In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the chocolate until just melted, stirring constantly to keep it from burning. Remove from heat. Using a pastry brush, coat the tops of the phyllo strips with a thin layer of chocolate. Allow it to set, at room temperature, or in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE PEAR POUCHES

Steps:

• Peel the pears and, using a melon baller or paring knife, core from the bottom, leaving the stems intact. Combine the wine, 3 cups water, the sugar, dried cherries, cinnamon stick and cardamom in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the pears (add more water to submerge the pears, if necessary). Poach until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; let the pears cool in the liquid. (To make a day ahead, transfer the pears and liquid to a container, cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the chocolate, walnuts, 1 tablespoon melted butter and a pinch each of sugar and salt in a bowl. Remove the pears from the liquid and stuff with some of the chocolate mixture. Simmer the poaching liquid over medium-high heat until syrupy, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Repeat the layering 2 more times. Cut the dough in half crosswise. Spoon the remaining chocolate mixture in the center of each piece and top with the pears, stem-side up. Pull up the corners of the phyllo to meet at the pear stem; pinch and twist the excess phyllo. Brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Transfer the pouches to a baking sheet and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with the cherry syrup.