Brought to us by Desiree
Ingredients
for the crystallized ginger
1c superfine sugar
7oz fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
for the pears
7 tbsp butter
1/2 c superfine sugar
3 pears, cored and cut into 8 wedges
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
eight 8-inch square sheets of phyllo dough
confectioner’s sugar for dusting
mint sprigs, to decorate
vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)
for the sauce
5oz fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1c plus 2 tbsp cream
1/4 c superfine sugar
1. Make the crystallized ginger: Dissolve the sugar in 3/4 c plus 2 tbsp water, stirring. Bring tot a boil. Ad the ginger slices and poach in the syrup for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the over to 230 degrees. Spread the drained ginger slices on a non stick baking sheet. Bake about 2 hours until light brown and crisp; remove and leave to cool. Increase the oven setting to 375 degrees.
3. Cook the pears: Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. Add sugar. Just before it turns a caramel color, add the pears and cook 8 to 10 minutes, coating them in the caramel. Stir in the lemon juice and half the crystallized ginger; reserve the rest for decoration. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
4. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan. Brush a sheet of phyllo dough with melted butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. Lay another sheet on top. Place about 6 pear slices and some juice in the center. Brush the dough edges with melted butter; draw up the corners to make a bundle. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush with butter. Make 3 more bundles in the same way. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Wrap the ginger in a clean cloth and squeeze the juice in to a small bowl. In a pan, slowly heat the cream to just below the boiling point. In a separate pan, slowly heat the sugar and 3 tablespoons water until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and simmer until mixture turns light golden. Slowly stir in the hot cream and the ginger juice. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and strain.
6. Place a pear bundle on each serving plate. Dust with sifted confectioners sugar and decorate with a mint sprig. Drizzle the sauce around and scatter around some crystallized ginger. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Serves 6 (Makes about 3 cups)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean
4 egg yolks
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp superfine sugar
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1. Pour the milk into a small pan. Using a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk. Cut the pod into several pieces and add to the pan. Slowly bring almost to a boil. Remove the pan form the heat, cover, and leave to infuse at least 15 minutes, but preferably 30 minutes.
2. In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar about 1 minute until thick and creamy and the batter leaves a distinct trail when the beaters are lifted. Bring the flavored milk back to a boil. Pour it slowly into the beaten eggs, stirring continuously.
3. Pour the custard mixture into a clean, preferably nonstick pan. Summer over very low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the custard coats the back of the spoon: this will take 8 to 10 minutes. Do not let the custard boil or it will separate.
4. Stand a clean bowl in another bowl filled with ice or ice and cold water. Strain the custard mixture through a fine strainer into the bowl, pressing down on the vanilla pieces to extract all the flavor; leave to cool about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin form forming. When completely cool, stir in the cream. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight if you prefer.
5. Start the ice-cream machine running, then pour in the mixture. Churn until it is thick and has the consistency of softly whipped cream; this will take about 30 minutes, depending on your machine, the coldness of the mixture, and how long your container has been in the freezer. Spoon the ice cream into a freezerproof plastic container, cover and freeze until firm. Transfer to the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Freeze up to 2 months.
