Poires Pralinees

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium saucepan with lid
• •Small heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Heatproof mixing bowls
• •Balloon whisk
• •Round of baking paper
• •Shallow 1½-quart timbale or serving bowl
• •Two tablespoons for shaping the Chantilly

Instructions

1. 1

   Stew the pears

   Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan just wide enough to hold the pears upright. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves, then lower in the peeled pears. Cover the surface with a round of baking paper and hold the syrup at the gentlest tremble for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the pears occasionally, until a thin knife enters the thickest part with only slight resistance. If one pear begins to split, lift it out immediately; it can cool in a ladleful of syrup while the others finish. Cool all four pears completely in the syrup, then chill them for at least 2 hours.

   Choose pears that smell ripe but remain firm at the neck. A soft pear collapses before the syrup reaches its centre, while a hard green pear stays woody however politely you simmer it.
2. 2

   Cook the Frangipane

   Warm the milk in a small saucepan until bubbles gather at its edge. Whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth, then pour in half the hot milk gradually while whisking. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens and gives two or three slow bubbles. Whisk in the ground almonds and cook gently for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and beat in the butter. If the bottom catches, pour the cream immediately into a clean bowl without scraping the saucepan; the unburned portion is perfectly usable. Press reusable wrap or baking paper directly onto the surface, cool for 20 minutes, then refrigerate.

3. 3

   Make the chocolate sauce

   Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream, water, and sugar just to a simmer, pour them over the chocolate, and wait 1 minute. Whisk from the centre outward until smooth, then whisk in the butter. If the sauce turns oily, add very hot water one teaspoon at a time while whisking from the centre. Ça se rattrape. Cover and keep the sauce at room temperature for warm service, or chill it once cool for cold service.

4. 4

   Whip the Chantilly

   Chill a mixing bowl and whisk, then pour in the cold cream. Whip until it begins to hold soft ridges, add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla, and continue only until the Chantilly forms smooth medium-firm peaks that hold a spoon shape. Stop before it looks grainy. If it has gone only slightly too far, fold in 1 tablespoon of the unwhipped cream allotted for the Frangipane; the Frangipane will simply need a little less.

5. 5

   Thin while warm

   Set the chilled Frangipane over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk until it becomes supple and the bowl feels only faintly warm. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the unwhipped cream one tablespoon at a time, stopping when the Frangipane falls from the whisk in a broad ribbon that slowly disappears. Never force cold Frangipane over the pears, because it drags and tears their surface. If it remains clotted or stiff, stop and warm it gently again before adding another spoonful of cream; ça se rattrape. If it becomes too loose, let it stand for 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Compose the timbale

   Lift the cold pears from their syrup and blot them very gently so the coating can cling. Stand them close together in a shallow 1½-quart timbale or serving bowl. Spoon the warm-thinned Frangipane over each pear, coaxing it down the sides without rubbing the fruit, and let it settle for 5 minutes. With two tablespoons, shape generous oval spoonfuls of Chantilly and set one neatly between each pear. The third will look better than the first. This is cooking well, not cooking fancy.

7. 7

   Cover and serve

   Spoon the prepared concassed-almond Pralin (No. 2352) over the pears and Chantilly so the rough almonds cover the composition generously without being pressed into it. Bring the chocolate sauce separately, either warm and fluid or cold but still pourable. If chilled sauce has tightened, loosen it with a teaspoon of warm water. Spoon it onto each plate at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Bosc or Conference pears are particularly useful because they hold their shape under gentle cooking. Whatever the variety, buy by touch: firm flesh, a fragrant stem end, and no bruised patches.
• •The source's raw cream is cream in its liquid state, not a demand for unpasteurized dairy. Pasteurized heavy cream has the proper fat and is the safe home equivalent; light cream won't loosen the Frangipane with the same roundness.
• •Prepare Pralin (No. 2352) in its concassed-almond coating form. The almonds should be roughly chopped, not reduced to powder, and pasteurized liquid egg white is the prudent choice because this form remains uncooked.
• •Keep the chocolate sauce separate until serving. Poured over the timbale too early, it hides the pale pears and softens the almond covering; brought in a small jug, it gives every guest exactly as much as they want.

Advance Preparation

• •Stew the pears up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate them in their syrup. Keeping them submerged prevents discoloration and lets the sweetness move evenly through the fruit.
• •The Frangipane and chocolate sauce may also be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover the Frangipane directly on its surface, and rewarm both components gently before adjusting their consistency.
• •Whip the Chantilly and assemble the pears no more than 1 hour before serving. Add the Pralin (No. 2352) at the last moment so its concassed almonds keep their bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 430g)