In Full of Flavor: 18 Ingredients…Endless Possibilities (Kyle Books USA, April 2013) Maria Elia turns 18 ingredients into 100 plus recipes.
Here's a sweet treat from 'Full of Flavor'.
Pear beignets with
rosemary sugar and pear crème
anglaise
Posh
pear fritters! Robust pears are just 'pearfect' with
rosemary scented sugar – make this in advance if you can,
you will find all sorts of uses for it. A little lager in the batter
really does improve the taste.
Serves 4–6
For
the poached pears
200g
caster sugar
1
bay leaf
1
vanilla pod, seeds scraped
1
whole unwaxed lemon
4
pears, peeled and cored
For
the BATTER
150g
plain flour
3
tbsp sugar
pinch
of sea salt
1
large egg
250ml
lager or ale
vegetable
oil, for frying
icing
sugar
For
the pear crème Anglaise
120ml
milk
100ml
single cream
2
egg yolks
10g
caster sugar
For
the rosemary sugar
2
sprigs of rosemary, dried, leaves
stripped
75g
caster sugar
Prepare the poaching liquid before preparing the pears as they
discolour.
Place the sugar, 150ml water, bay leaf, vanilla seeds and pod, bay
leaf and the juice and the lemon in a saucepan over a low heat and
bring to the boil for 2 minutes.
Cut each pear into 3–4 vertical slices about 1cm thick and add to
the cooking liquor. Place a circle of greaseproof paper (a cartouche)
on the top and poach until just tender (about 5–7 minutes). Remove the
pears from the liquor and leave to cool and drain on a rack or cloth.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, a pinch of salt and
the egg. Whisk together and gradually add the lager or ale. Whisk until the
batter is smooth. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
To make the rosemary sugar, blitz the rosemary and sugar together
in a blender. Store in an airtight container until required.
Heat the oil to 175ÅãC. Working in batches, dip a few slices of
poached pear into the batter, then carefully drop them into the oil. Fry until
golden on both sides (about 4 minutes).
Drain the pear beignets on absorbent paper and dust with rosemary sugar.
To make the pear creme Anglaise, place the poaching syrup from the pears, the milk and the cream in a saucepan and gently bring to
the boil.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Pour
a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, then gradually pour
this back into the hot milk. Cook over a low heat, stirring continuously
until the custard thickens. Do not boil or the custard will curdle. Once
thickened, pass the custard through a fine sieve and serve with the pears.
(* Recipe from 'Full of Flavor' by Maria Elia- published by Kyle Books USA, April 2013- reproduced with permission- Photography by Jonathan Gregson)