Pear Sorbet Recipes

PEAR VANILLA SORBET

Steps:

• Place the water in a medium saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of a paring knife, scrape the seeds into the water. Add the pods and the sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add the pears and simmer 10 minutes, or until soft when pierced with a knife and translucent on the surfaces. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, corn syrup or agave nectar, and lemon juice. Allow to cool. Remove the vanilla bean pods from the saucepan.
• Blend the pears with the syrup in a blender until smooth. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
• Chill a container in the freezer. Using an immersion blender, blend the pear mixture for 30 seconds. Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's directions. Transfer to the container and freeze for at least two hours to pack.

PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• Place the water with the sugar and the lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Peel, core and halve the pears. Place in water and poach for 20 or 30 minutes or until soft.
• Puree the pears with their syrup in a food processor. Combine with the poire liqueur. Pour the mixture into an ice tray and freeze until firm. The freezer should be on its coldest setting. Stir once before it is fully set to prevent ice crystals forming.

ASIAN PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine pears and 1 cup sake. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, covered, until pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Transfer pears and cooking liquid to a food processor. Add sugar, and process until smooth. Add lemon juice and the remaining 1/2 cup sake; pulse to combine. Transfer mixture to an airtight container, and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 1/2 hours.
• Pour mixture into an ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbet to an airtight container; freeze at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

PEAR AND RED WINE SORBET

Steps:

• Peel, core and quarter the pears. Place them in a medium saucepan with the sugar, red wine, water, cinnamon stick and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the pears are soft and translucent. This will take 15 to 20 minutes if the pears are ripe and soft to begin with, or about 30 minutes if they're somewhat hard. Add the pepper.
• Using tongs, remove the pears to a bowl. Remove the cinnamon stick from the poaching liquid, and discard. Turn up the heat, and reduce until the mixture has the consistency of a thin syrup. (This step may be unnecessary, depending on how long you cooked the pears and how juicy they were.)
• Place the pears, in batches, in a blender, or place all of them in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Purée until smooth. Slowly add the poaching liquid and the lemon juice, and blend together. Transfer to a bowl, and chill. Meanwhile, place a 1-quart container in the freezer.
• Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to the chilled container, and freeze for at least two hours before serving. If frozen solid, allow to soften in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.

PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until pears are tender. Cool slightly. , Pour into a food processor; cover and process for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until firm. , Just before serving, process again in a food processor for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Spoon into dessert dishes.

PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• Cut the pears into 1-inch (3-cm) chunks. Put them in a large, nonreactive saucepan along with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the water. Cover and cook over medium to high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pears are cooked through and tender when poked with a paring knife.
• Transfer the cooked pears to a blender (you should have 2 cups, 500 ml, of purée) and add the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) water, sugar, and lemon juice. Purée until smooth.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Variation
• For Pear-Ginger Sorbet, add 1/4 cup (25 g) very finely chopped candied ginger to the sorbet during the last few minutes of churning.
• Perfect Pairings
• Serve Pear Sorbet with a scoop of Chocolate Sorbet (page 120) or Chocolate Ice Cream (pages 26 and 28).

PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• Bloom the gelatin (see page 29).
• Warm a little bit of the pear puree and whisk in the gelatin to dissolve. Whisk in the remaining pear puree, the glucose, elderflower cordial, salt, and citric acid until everything is fully dissolved and incorporated.
• Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. The sorbet is best spun just before serving or using, but it will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
• notes
• We use Poire William puree and elderflower cordial in this recipe; both are easily found at amazon.com.
• With all things fresh and seasonal, it's always important to taste, taste, taste. Make the sorbet base to your liking with more glucose, salt, or citric acid (see page 26).
• Powdered gelatin can be substituted for the sheet gelatin: use 1/2 teaspoon. In a pinch, substitute 18g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose.

PEAR AND CARDAMOM SORBET

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup pear nectar, sugar, and cardamom to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir into remaining pear nectar in a bowl and add lemon juice.
• Freeze in ice cream maker. Serve sorbet over pears.

EASY RED-WINE AND PEAR SORBET

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring wine, 1 1/4 cups water, and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Add pears; reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt; cool completely. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. Freeze until solid, about 6 hours (or overnight).
• With a fork, break frozen mixture into large pieces. In 2 batches, puree in a food processor until completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze until ready to serve (sorbet will be soft).