Blue Cheese Ice Cream With Pears And Walnut Pound Cake Recipes

ROASTED PEARS WITH BLUE CHEESE AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the pears, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Strip the leaves from the thyme branches and sprinkle over the pears. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spoon a generous teaspoon of crumbled cheese in the center of each pear half, return the pears to the oven and roast until they are tender and the cheese is soft, about 10 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the walnuts on another baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Chop. When the pears are cooked, transfer them to a serving plate and sprinkle the toasted walnuts over the top. Serve hot.

BLUE CHEESE ICE CREAM WITH PEARS AND WALNUT POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Blue Cheese Ice Cream:.
• Combine the half-and-half and salt in a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Bring the half-and-half just to a boil, then remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Beat the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl. Add the half-and-half mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, to the beaten eggs and sugar, whisking in between each addition, until all is used. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl with the crumbled blue cheese. Whisk until cheese is melted. Allow the custard to cool completely.
• Process the cooled custard in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Remove the ice cream form the machine, place in a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 8 hours.
• Yield: 1 quart.
• POACHED PEARS:.
• In a 4-quart saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the pears. Stir the liquid until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Place the pears in the saucepan and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit over the pears and serve as a parchment lid. Cook the pears over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pears are easily pierced with a knife. Allow to cool completely in the poaching liquid.
• Pound Cake:.
• Adjust the oven rack to the center position, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter, and dust with 1 tablespoon of the cake flour, tapping out the excess.
• Place the 1/2 pound butter and the vanilla bean seeds in a saucepan set over low heat. Gently melt the butter, whisking constantly. Set aside. Combine the sugar and eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer. Use the whip attachment to beat the mixture on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Reduce the speed to low, and in a slow and steady stream, pour the melted butter and vanilla into the bowl. Sift the remaining 1 1/2 cups cake flour, the baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Add the sifted flour mixture in 3 parts to the wet ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure an evenly blended batter. Mix the batter just until blended, add the sour cream and walnuts and mix just until blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, and continue to bake the cake until the top is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan after 20 minutes of baking. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and continue to cool on the rack until just warm.
• Yield: 1 (9-inch) loaf cake, 8 to 10 servings.
• Rosemary Caramel Sauce:.
• Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice and rosemary leaves in a medium heavy saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let boil without stirring until the mixture becomes a deep amber color, 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn. Add the cream (be careful; it will bubble up), whisk to combine, and remove from the heat.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the milk, then add up to 2 more tablespoons, until the desired consistency is reached. Strain the sauce and let cool until ready for serving. (The sauce will thicken as it cools.) Add the sprigs of rosemary to the caramel as it cools and allow the sauce to steep with the rosemary until the rosemary essence permeates the caramel. Remove the rosemary sprigs before serving the caramel. The caramel may be made up to several days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Warm gently over low heat before serving.

PEAR POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 x 5inch loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, cream 6 tablespoons of the butter with the sugar and the vanilla until light and smooth. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg and toss together until evenly mixed. Add half of the flour mixture and the egg to the butter mixture and mix well. Add the rest of the flour mixture and the buttermilk, beating them in well. Fold in the pears and the pecans. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the center is firm and golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan and finish cooling. When cool, invert onto a serving plate and cut into slices.

BLUE CHEESE CHEESECAKE WITH BABY GREENS, CANDIED WALNUTS AND A PEAR VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine bread crumbs, walnuts and melted butter and process until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture on the bottom and partially up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl combine blue cheese and cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and combine well. Using a spatula, transfer cheese mixture to the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cake is golden brown and not loose in the center.
• While the cake is baking, make the Pear Vinaigrette and Candied Walnuts.
• When the cake is puffed, golden brown and not loose in the center, transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
• Serve the cake warm, with a salad of baby greens tossed with the Pear Vinaigrette, garnished with the Candied Walnuts.
• Combine the pear, Champagne vinegar, shallots, sugar, rosemary and black pepper in a skillet and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the pears are tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender or food processor.
• Add the mustard, soy sauce, kosher salt, and green onions, and puree on high speed. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream and process until emulsified. Remove from the blender and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve. (The vinaigrette will keep for up to 1 week refrigerated.)
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and cook, stirring, until golden brown and toasted, 3 minutes. Add the sugar and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer to a piece of waxed paper to cool.

BLUE CHEESE-PEAR ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the pears, wine, nectar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the pears are tender and the liquid is reduced by 1/2. Puree in a food processor and transfer to a bowl to cool. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the cream to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
• Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks. Whisking, gradually add the egg mixture to the hot cream. Return to medium-low heat and cook, whisking, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Add the blue cheese and salt, and whisk until fairly smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
• Whisk together the pear and cheese mixture and pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.
• To serve, scoop the ice cream into bowls, 2 scoops per person. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Place 2 phyllo cookies in the ice cream and serve.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
• Place the phyllo on a work surface and cover with a damp kitchen towel. With a pastry brush, paint the top sheet with melted butter, and lightly sprinkle with nuts and sugar. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Fold the phyllo stack in 1/2 over itself. Cut the phyllo twice lengthwise and twice across to make rectangles.
• Bake until golden brown and just crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan until ready to serve.

MAPLE WALNUT POUND CAKE

Steps:

• In mixer bowl cream butter and sugars until fluffy.
• In another bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• In measuring cup combine milk and maple flavoring, and beat into butter mixture alternatively with flour mixture.
• Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
• Mix in 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts.
• Turn into greased 9 or 10 inch tube pan and bake in lower third of 300-degree oven 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, just until pick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely.
• Drizzle with maple glaze and garnish with walnuts.
• Maple Glaze:
• In a small bowl mix 1 cup sifted powdered sugar with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons
• Milk to make a glaze of thick pouring consistency. Stir in 1/2 teaspoons maple flavoring.

BLUE CHEESE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Cook the half and half over medium-low heat with the peppercorns until hot to the touch. Put about 2/3 of the crumbled cheese into a mixing bowl, and pour the hot half and half through a strainer over the cheese, add the sugar and lemon juice and whisk until all the chunks (cheese, sugar) are dissolved. Chill overnight, or at least four hours.
• Before spinning in your machine, mix in the reserved chunks of bleu cheese. Spin according to manufacturers instructions, and then serve it to your friends but don't tell them what flavor it is.

WALNUT POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan and set aside.
• Cream together the butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.
• Gradually add to the butter mixture, alternating each addition with the milk.
• Mix until just blended.
• Stir in the vanilla and walnuts.
• Pour into the pan and bake for 90 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool thoroughly on a wire rack.
• Dust with powdered sugar before serving.