Food - Recipe of the month
Poached Packman Pear in Red Wine & Honey
Served with a stilton and walnut paté
Poached Packman Pear
- 4 firm Packman pears
- 300g clear honey
- 400ml red wine
- 2 teaspoons tomato purée
For the paté
- 200g Philadelphia cheese
- 40g Stilton cheese
- 20g nibbled walnuts
- To prepare the pate, grate the Stilton cheese. Cream the Philadelphia cheese in a separate bowl.
- Place the grated Stilton cheese in the microwave and just melt it. This is only to allow the amalgamation of the two cheeses, don't get it too hot.
- Mix the Stilton with the Philadelphia cheese and add the walnuts. Place in the fridge to chill.
- Peel the firm pears taking care to leave the stalk in tact. Trim the bottom of the pears so, as they stand up on their own.
- Carefully cut in half lengthways leaving the stalk on one side and using a parisienne cutter neatly scoop out the core. Use a small paring knife to remove any remaining core to the top of the pear.
- Place the pears in a thick-bottomed pan and pour on the honey and red wine. Bring to the boil and lightly poach until the pears are just tender. Check this by gently probing with a small knife. Be careful not to overcook the pears.
- Using a slotted spoon place the pears onto a tray presentation side up.
- Allow the liquor to reduce to syrup. Be careful not to let it burn. At various stages of the reduction lightly brush the glaze onto the pears, when light syrup is achieved remove from the heat.
- Pour a spoonful onto a plate and allow it to go cold. If this reduction cools to a Melba sauce consistency it is ready. If it is too thick and will not pour add a little water and reheat to the correct consistency. If too thin, carry on reducing until correct. This process does take some time but it is worth it.
- Pour the finished honey and wine reduction into a squeezy bottle and resrve.
To assemble the dish
- On a large white plate run the reduction from the squeezy bottle across the plate in zigzag decoration.
- Using a small ice cream scoop or perhaps two spoons place two neat balls of pate onto the plate.
- Carefully fan each half of pear and stand up against the pate and fan out.
- Finish with sprigs of flat leaf parsley
- Serve
Neil Wakefield (Head Chef)
