Best Poached Pears In Red Currant Sauce With Chocolate Decadence Cake Recipes

POACHED PEARS IN RED CURRANT SAUCE WITH CHOCOLATE DECADENCE CAKE

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking soda, sugar, and cocoa powder. Place into mixing bowl.
• Put butter, oil, and water into a pot and melt over medium heat.
• When butter has melted, pour into dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated.
• Then mix on medium speed while adding eggs, 1 at a time, and then sour cream. Continue to mix only until incorporated. Pour batter into greased and papered sheet pan (8 inch by 12 inch). Bake in a preheated 375-degree F oven until firm to touch and releases from sides of the pan. Cool. Then invert onto back of another pan or onto a pastry or cutting board.
• Take a round cutter, 1/2-inch-in-diameter larger than the base of the pear. Cut out cake circles. (Save rest of cake as snacks, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.)
• Place cream in pan, place over medium high heat. Bring just to a boil. Remove immediately from stove. Pour in chopped chocolate. Stir until all chocolate pieces are melted. Cool slightly. Place cake circles on cooling rack placed on top of a pan (to catch drippings). Pour glaze over cakes, being careful to fully cover top and sides.
• Place in refrigerator to harden. Once set, take spatula and carefully remove circles. Place on papered sheet pan. Roll out marzipan and cut it into a 3/4-inch wide strip. Cut a decorative design on 1 side (like waves or triangles). Wrap the strip, straight side on the bottom around the base of each glazed cake circle.
• Place cake circle in center of dessert plate. Pour reduced cool sauce around cake enough to coat plate nicely. Place Dipped Poached Pear in center on top of cake. If desired, take edible gold leaf and place in increments around cake on sauce.
• Mix together puree, liqueur, and sugar. Pour into saucepan. Set aside.
• Peel pears, core out from bottom of pear using melon baller. Careful not to break or split the sides of the pear. Slice bottom of pear, to enable pear to stand straight up. Place pears standing up in puree mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover with aluminum foil, poach until tender, approximately 8 to 10 minutes, depending on ripeness of pears.
• Remove pears from liquid and place on cooling rack. Remove poaching liquid from stove and cool.
• Once liquid is cold, place pears back into liquid and store, covered in refrigerator over night.
• Remove pears from liquid (reserve liquid for later use). Place on cooling rack to drain.
• Melt chocolate in bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once pears have drained, pat dry, and dip into the melted chocolate, approximately 1-inch up base of pear. Place on waxed paper to set chocolate.
• Place cooking liquid back into a saucepan, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer, reducing liquid to sauce consistency. Remove from stove and cool.

POACHED PEARS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears. Cut 1/4 in. from bottom to level if necessary. Place in a large saucepan; add the water, vanilla, cinnamon stick and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes or until pears are almost tender., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and cinnamon. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool. , Drain pears; place on dessert plates. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.

RED WINE POACHED PEARS WITH CHOCOLATE FILLING

Steps:

• Cut bottom off each pear and core from the bottom to give each pear a flat bottom to stand upright.
• Combine wine, water, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and star anise in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and arrange pears on their sides in the saucepan. Simmer pears for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn pears and continue simmering until tender and easily poked with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes. Work in batches if needed.
• Remove pears from wine mixture and place in a serving dish, standing upright. Continue boiling wine sauce until reduced to about 3/4 cup, 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Fill each pear's core cavity with chocolate sauce. Pour wine sauce over each pear.

THE FONTAINE

Steps:

• Ganache: Heat the heavy cream in a 1-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Place the finely chopped chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a ganache by pouring the hot cream over the chocolate and letting it sit for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate, then slowly whisking until smooth and homogenous. Pour it on a clean baking sheet to allow it to cool. As it cools, it begins to set and thicken. Raspberry syrup: Place the sugar and water in a non-reactive 1-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. The sugar should completely dissolve. Add the raspberries and allow it to return to a boil. As it boils, whisk thoroughly to break the raspberries and allow them to release their juices. This will cause the syrup to turn red. Remove from the heat. Prepare an ice bath and strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium-size bowl placed over the ice bath. Discard the seeds and any pulp. When the syrup is cool, add the framboise liqueur. (If added when hot, the alcohol will evaporate.) Store the syrup in a squeeze bottle or a bowl covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.
• To bake the Fontaines, place them on a baking sheet and bake until the phyllo wrapping begins to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. While these are baking, you can decorate the plate. You will need 6 phyllo triangles for each serving. Place 3 triangles in a circle in the center of each plate with the tips toward the edge. Place the whipped cream in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch star tip. Pipe a dollop (or rosette) of whipped cream between each triangle and top each dollop with a raspberry.
• Remove the Fontaines from the oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and center each on a plate, on top of the triangles. Stand 3 triangles on end to form a tower over the centered Fontaine. The raspberries will help support the triangles. Serve immediately.
• Jacques? tip: Always store phyllo dough well wrapped in the refrigerator to keep it from drying. If it dries, you will have to throw it away. If the phyllo is frozen, you will not be able to separate the layers. Let it thaw, covered, at room temperature. It comes rolled up and you will want to lay it flat. If you have any slight tears in a layer, you can still use it by ?gluing? it together with butter. If you tear a layer beyond repair, just throw it away.
• Prepare the cake: Use a 2-inch fluted round cutter to cut 12 small circles from the pound cake. The slices should be about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Keep the cuts as close together as possible to avoid waste. Line the circles up in rows on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet and soak evenly with the raspberry syrup.
• To assemble the Fontaines: When the ganache has cooled to the consistency of toothpaste, scrape it into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and top each cake circle with a layer of ganache. (I use a pastry bag because it is a clean, easy way to add the layer of ganache.) Place 6 raspberries on top of the ganache layer and press gently to anchor them in the chocolate. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes to allow the ganache to harden slightly. Lay 1 sheet of the phyllo on your work surface. Keep the remaining phyllo dough covered with a clean kitchen cloth to keep it from drying. Use a pastry brush to brush melted butter over the entire surface of the phyllo sheet. It will be easier if you start by brushing one line of butter lengthwise down the center and then fill in by brushing top to bottom from the center toward each edge. Be sure to brush all the way to the edges, where the phyllo is the driest. Place the powdered sugar in a fine-mesh sieve and liberally sprinkle the buttered phyllo sheet with it. Cover with a second sheet of phyllo and repeat with the butter and powdered sugar. Use a sharp paring knife to cut the doubled phyllo sheets in half from top to bottom and from left to right. Place one raspberry ganache cake in the center of each section of phyllo. Fold each side of the phyllo over the cake from left to right and tuck under the edges. Lightly brush the top with melted butter and place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Repeat these steps using four more phyllo sheets, until all of the cakes are wrapped. (At this stage, the Fontaines can be stored in the refrigerator for a few hours or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks if well wrapped in plastic wrap; to thaw, place in the refrigerator for one hour before baking.)
• To make the phyllo garnish (you should have the garnish ready before you bake the Fontaines): Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lay 1 of the remaining sheets of phyllo dough on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to spread about 2 tablespoons of the melted butter over the entire surface of the phyllo sheet, making sure to brush all the way to the edges. Using a fine-mesh sieve, liberally sprinkle the powdered sugar over the buttered phyllo. Cover with the remaining phyllo sheet and repeat with the butter and sugar. Use a sharp paring knife to cut the doubled phyllo in half lengthwise. Make diagonal cuts from the top to the bottom of each half to create thin elongated triangles (1 1/2 inches at the base and 4 inches tall). Bake until evenly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stay at the oven and watch these carefully, because they burn very quickly after they brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. (Leave the oven on.)
• Use a small offset spatula or knife to loosen the triangles from the parchment paper once they have cooled. Be gentle, they are extremely fragile.
• To bake the Fontaines, place them on a baking sheet and bake until the phyllo wrapping begins to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. While these are baking, you can decorate the plate. You will need 6 phyllo triangles for each serving. Place 3 triangles in a circle in the center of each plate with the tips toward the edge. Place the whipped cream in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch star tip. Pipe a dollop (or rosette) of whipped cream between each triangle and top each dollop with a raspberry.
• Remove the Fontaines from the oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and center each on a plate, on top of the triangles. Stand 3 triangles on end to form a tower over the centered Fontaine. The raspberries will help support the triangles. Serve immediately.
• In French, fontaine means fountain. When I created these, I imagined the chocolate oozing when the dessert was cut like water rushes out of a fountain. The combination of raspberries and chocolate is a popular one, the bittersweet chocolate balancing the strong flavor of the raspberries. This dessert is filled with contrasts: warm/cold, acid/sweet, crunchy/smooth. The delicate crisp phyllo dough triangles create an architectural quality, giving the dessert an elegant height.
• It will be easiest if you make the ganache a few hours in advance and let it cool. If you put it in the refrigerator to cool, it will become too hard.
• Jacques? tip: Always store phyllo dough well wrapped in the refrigerator to keep it from drying. If it dries, you will have to throw it away. If the phyllo is frozen, you will not be able to separate the layers. Let it thaw, covered, at room temperature. It comes rolled up and you will want to lay it flat. If you have any slight tears in a layer, you can still use it by ?gluing? it together with butter. If you tear a layer beyond repair, just throw it away.