Last night I made for the first time, spiced red wine poached pears with homemade vanilla bean ice cream… and as a certain other can attest to, it was a raging success! The spice of the pear was not overpowering and the richness of the ice cream balanced the vivacity of the red wine. Although perhaps more of a winter dessert, I cannot help following Northern Hemisphere Christmas traditions. Forget the pavlova this Christmas, try something a little warm and spicy and pretend that it’s snowing outside and you can hear the jingle of sleigh bells in the snow…
Ingredients
- 2 cups red wine (I used a syrah; bold, unapologetic and earthy)
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 2 whole star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 4 just-ripe Packham’s pears, peeled
Directions
- Combine the wine, sugar, star anise, cinnamon and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add the pears and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, turning occasionally for 1 hour or until pears are tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a heatproof bowl.
- Increase heat to high and bring the syrup to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly. Pour over the pears and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
- You can refrigerate the pears if you so desire, but I served them warm.
Vanilla Bean Ice cream
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup double/heavy cream
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod (scored down the middle)
Directions
- Pour the milk in a saucepan and bring slowly up to almost boiling point. Do not let it boil. Turn off heat and place the vanilla bean into it and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and the sugar until thick. Carefully remove the vanilla bean from the milk and scrape out the seeds into the milk. Pour the milk into the egg mixture whilst stirring. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the custard thickens. Do not bring to the boil or it will curdle. When you can see a film over the back of your spoon, it’s time to remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave to cool.
- When the custard base is cold, stir in the cream. Transfer mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I have a KitchenAid ice cream attachment for the Artisan Mixer, and it is brilliant. I highly recommend it to anyone considering getting one. This ice cream is truly decadent. It is just so rich. And the leftovers are irresistible the next day as you sit on the couch watching Law and Order…
