Chestnut Honey Baked Pears Stuffed With Mascarpone Recipes

RED WINE POACHED ANJOU PEARS STUFFED WITH MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Place the wine, peppercorns, vanilla beans, zest, cardamom and sugar in a 2 1/2-quart saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the saucepan to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer. Place the pears in the saucepan and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until the pears are tender.
• Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and set aside on a plate. Allow them to cool completely.
• While the pears are cooling, strain the poaching liquid and discard solids. Return the liquid to the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and reduce the poaching liquid to a syrup, about 5 to 10 minutes. You should have about 1/2 cup syrup. Set aside.
• When the pears are cool enough to handle, remove the inner core using a melon baller. Stuff each pear with 2 tablespoons of the mascarpone.
• To serve, pour about 2 tablespoons of the poaching syrup on a chilled appetizer plate with a pear in the center. Sprinkle toasted pistachios around the plate and garnish with mint leaves and orange zest. Drizzle with creme anglaise, if desired.

CHESTNUT HONEY-BAKED PEARS STUFFED WITH MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine wine, 1/4 cup chestnut honey, water, cinnamon, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds and the scraped bean to the pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Pour the poaching liquid into a baking dish just large enough to hold the pears. Keeping stems intact, remove the core from the pear using a melon baller (apple corer) entering through the base and removing only the woody core and seeds. Trim the skin off the base only of the pear and place upright in baking dish. Bake the pears about 25 to 35 minutes or until tender. You must baste the pears with the liquid every 5 to 7 minutes. The skins should be crinkly. Remove from oven and let cool in the liquid.
• Combine the mascarpone with the remaining 1 tablespoon chestnut honey. Using a pastry bag, fill each pear at its base with the mascarpone. Serve drizzled with poaching syrup.

BAKED PEARS WITH CURRANTS AND CINNAMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the pears, cut-side up, in a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon, and add a small pat of coconut oil to each pear half. Pour the wine into the bottom of the baking dish, being careful not to disturb the pears. Sprinkle the currants over the pears -- it's OK if some fall into the wine. Place in the oven and cook until fork tender, about 50 minutes.
• To serve, set pears on a plate and dollop with mascarpone. Drizzle with some of the juices and currants from the baking pan.

MIXED BERRY CREPES WITH MASCARPONE

Steps:

• For the batter: Blend the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor or blender. Add the milk, water, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract, and process until smooth. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
• For the fruit: While batter rests, hull and halve the strawberries. Toss with blackberries, sugar, and orange liqueur, if using, in a medium bowl; set aside.
• For the filling: Whisk the cheeses with the sugar, orange zest and juice, and the vanilla extract.
• To make the crepes: Heat an 6-inch nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat until a drop of water bounces and sizzles briefly on its surface before evaporating. Quickly pour in about 2 tablespoons of crepe batter and swirl it to coat the skillet evenly. Cook until the batter sets, about 30 seconds. Flip the crepe and cook the other side until just barely golden. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes as they cook.
• Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese filling on the lower left-hand corner of each crepe. Fold crepe in half, then half again to make a triangle with filling in the tip. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. Stack filled crepes neatly on serving platter (or hotel pan). (The crepes can be prepared up to this point a day ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.)
• To serve: Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F. Cover crepes with foil and warm in the oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.
• Spoon the macerated berries over the crepes and serve.

BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST WITH APPLES AND MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Whisk together yolks with cream, add remaining ingredients. Set aside. Saute apple slices in 3 tablespoons butter until just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes, sprinkle with sugar and grated lemon zest. Cut Brioche into 2-inch slices. Cut each slice sideways 2/3 of the way through to create a pocket. Spread mascarpone mixture on top and bottom of pocket. Put 1/6 of the apples in pocket and press to close. Submerge each slice stuffed brioche in the custard. Saute in butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Place in 400-degree oven for 3 minutes. Serve with powdered sugar and maple syrup.

CINNAMON MASCARPONE BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375. Halve pears lengthwise and core.
• 2. Place cored side up in a medium baking dish. Spoon 1/2 tsp brown sugar and 1/2 tsp butter into each cavity.
• 3. Pour the juice into the baking dish.
• 4. Bake for 25 minutes or until pears are tender.
• 5. In a bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, sugar, and cinnamon.
• 6. Top each pear half with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture and serve warm.

SLOW-BAKED HONEY WINE PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Peel the pears from top to bottom, leaving the stem intact, and lay them in a lidded oven-proof dish just large enough to hold them. Bring the wine and honey to a boil, cover the pears with the liquid, and transfer to the oven. Bake until very tender, 4 to 5 hours, turning now and again. Gently remove the pears to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Boil the liquid rapidly until reduced to syrup, about 20 minutes. Pour the syrup over the pears and reserve at room temperature for several hours, or cover and refrigerate until about an hour before serving. Serve with whipped cream which you've sweetened with a little sugar and flavored with Cognac.

HONEY-POACHED PEARS WITH MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Toss pears with lemon juice in large bowl. Set aside. Combine 1 cup water, wine and honey in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until honey dissolves. Add pears. Cover mixture with round piece of parchment paper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pears are just tender when pierced, turning when half-way through cooking, about 15 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to large bowl. Boil poaching liquid until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Cool syrup. Pour syrup over pears. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove vanilla bean.
• Whisk mascarpone cheese, sugar and brandy in large bowl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup chilled poaching syrup and whisk until soft peaks form.
• Thinly slice each pear half lengthwise, leaving slices attached at stem end. Using metal spatula, transfer pears to plates. Gently press on pears to fan slightly. Spoon some syrup over pears. Spoon mascarpone cream alongside each pear half and serve.