Blue Cheese Ice Cream with Port Poached Pears
Chef Andrew Meek crafted this elegant dessert beginning with the light and crisp tuile cup. The creamy Blue Cheese ice cream is the perfect compliment to the sweet-tart pear simmered in a fragrant mixture of port wine, cinnamon, anise and cloves.
Ingredients
12 egg yolks
7 oz. granulated sugar
1 pt. whole milk
1 pt. heavy cream
3 oz. buttermilk
blue cheese
Tuile cookie cups
Port Poached Pears (below)
Port Poached Pears:
4 cups port wine
Grated zest from 1 orange
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
6 whole cloves
1 tbsp. whole peppercorns
6 crimson pears, peeled
1⁄2 cup sugar
Steps
- Beat egg yolks and sugar.
- In med. saucepan, bring milk, cream, and cheese to a boil. Stir a ladle of hot milk into egg mixture; return to pan of hot milk. Stir well; strain.
- Cool mixture completely; freeze in ice cream maker.
- Scoop ice cream into tuile cups; serve with Port Pears.
Yield: 1 qt.
Port Poached Pears:
- In large saucepan, bring wine, zest, and spices to a boil. Add pears; cover with plate to submerge pears. Simmer 2 hr., or until pears are soft.
- Remove pears; strain liquid and pour 2 cups into saucepan. Add sugar; reduce over med. heat until thickened.