Pastry Nests With Poached Pears And Feta And Saffron Cream Recipes

PASTRY NESTS WITH POACHED PEARS AND FETA AND SAFFRON CREAM

Steps:

• Poach the pears: Place sugar, spices, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a small saucepan. Add 3 cups/700 milliliters water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once sugar has dissolved, add the pears, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the ripeness of the pears), until they are soft all the way through. Set aside until slightly cool, then lift the pears out of the syrup and quarter them lengthwise. Remove the core and stalks and discard; return pears to the syrup to infuse overnight, or if that isn't possible, for at least 3 hours. (The longer they infuse in the syrup the more color they will take on from the saffron.)
• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Make the nests: Place the kataifi pastry in a medium bowl and gently separate the strands. Pour the melted butter over and mix together well, using your hands to make sure all the strands are coated. Separate the pastry into 8 equal portions and then form each into nests that are a scant 3 inches/7 centimeters wide, piling the pastry up on the sides so the edges are taller than the base. Arrange nests about 1 inch/2.5 centimeters apart on the baking sheet and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden brown and crisp, rotating the sheet halfway through. Set aside to cool.
• Make the feta and saffron cream: Place mascarpone, feta, sugar, saffron and its water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until combined and smooth, then add heavy cream. Continue to whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and thick. Transfer cream into a piping bag (if you have one) and set aside.
• Remove the pears from the syrup and reserve. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan and add honey. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and you have about 1/2 cup syrup left. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and set aside to cool.
• When ready to serve, cut each pear quarter into 3 longish segments. Place 2 pieces of pear in the middle of each nest and then pipe (or spoon) about 1/4 cup cream on top. Place 1 slice of pear on top of the cream, so that it sticks up, and sprinkle each portion with a teaspoon of slivered pistachios. Drizzle a teaspoon or two of syrup over each of the nests and serve. Reserve remaining syrup for another purpose, such as drizzling over yogurt.

POACHED PEARS WITH SAFFRON WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Poached Pears: Core pears from bottoms, using a small melon baller or measuring spoon to scoop out seeds. Cut a round of parchment to fit inside a medium saucepan.
• Place pears in pan along with wine, sugar, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, saffron, and enough water to mostly cover pears (about 3 cups). Add vanilla seeds, then pod. Cover with prepared parchment round.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, turning pears occasionally to keep them covered with liquid, until tender (easily pierced with the tip of a knife) but not falling apart, 12 to 15 minutes, depending on ripeness and size. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a large bowl; cover with parchment round from pan.
• Remove and discard vanilla pod and cinnamon. Bring poaching liquid to a boil and cook until reduced to a thin syrup, 25 to 30 minutes (you should have 1 to 1 1/2 cups). Pour syrup over pears and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
• Saffron Whipped Cream: In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup cream and saffron over medium until just barely bubbling around edges. Remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl; add remaining 3/4 cup cream. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Serve pears whole or halved in shallow bowls, with syrup and saffron whipped cream.

SAFFRON POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, saffron and vanilla in a nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, with a stainless steel knife, trim bottom of pears so they stand upright. Peel them, leaving an inch of the peel at the stem end. With the help of an apple corer or melon baller, cut out core and seeds, working from the bottom end.
• Add pears to poaching liquid and poach them, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until barely soft. Remove pan from heat and either let pears cool in poaching liquid and serve liquid as is or, cool pears in liquid for an hour only. Remove from syrup, then reduce syrup until thickened and concentrated; cool.
• Option: When cool, stuff cavity with fresh raspberries, stand pears upright in a bowl, drizzle syrup around pears and float raspberries and mint leaves over syrup.