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Liquorice poached pears with praline and honey ice cream

Veg

Liquorice poached pears with praline and honey ice cream

Try a dessert worthy of MasterChef, packed full of liquorice flavour.

Equipment and preparation: For this recipe you'll need an ice cream machine.

Ingredients

For the milk and honey ice cream
For the liquorice poached pears
For the sable biscuits
For the praline
For the crystallised mint leaves
For the liquorice brandy cream

Preparation method

  1. Heat the milk and honey in a saucepan until boiling, continue to cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half. Strain the mixture into a jug and set aside to cool. Whisk in the glucose syrup, condensed milk and double cream. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until set. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and store in the freezer.

  2. Make the poaching syrup for the pears by heating 100g/3½oz of the sugar in a saucepan until it becomes a dark caramel. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Carefully add 1 litre/2 pints of hot water, the remaining sugar, liquorice sticks, liquorice essence and crème de cassis. Stir the mixture until smooth then leave to infuse for 20 minutes. Bring the mixture back to the boil and add the pears. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 15-20 minutes, or until the pears are translucent. Pour half of the poaching syrup into a separate saucepan and reduce until syrupy then set aside to cool.

  3. For the sable biscuits, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the butter, vanilla seeds and stir to make a smooth paste. Sift in the flour and combine gently with your fingertips until you have a smooth dough. Using a large sheet of clingfilm, roll the dough into a log shape and chill in the fridge until firm.

  4. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Slice the dough into 0.5cm/¼in thick rounds and place on a non-stick baking sheet, ensuring they are well spaced out as they will spread during cooking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden-brown at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack, dust with icing sugar and set aside to cool completely.

  5. For the praline, line a baking tray with a silicone baking sheet. Place 100g/3½oz of sugar into a wide saucepan and heat it until it reaches 140C/275F - 150C/300F. (Use a sugar thermometer to check this.) Remove the pan from the heat and add the almonds. Pour onto the tray and spread out with a spatula. Once cooled, break the praline into smaller pieces. Place into a food processor and grind until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

  6. Sprinkle the praline crumbs onto a plate. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Scoop balls of ice the milk and honey ice cream, coat them in the praline crumbs and set aside on the baking tray. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

  7. Lightly whisk the egg white in a bowl and carefully brush it over the mint leaves. Sprinkle with caster sugar and place onto a sheet of greaseproof paper. Set aside in a dry, warm place until crisp.

  8. For the liquorice brandy cream whisk the cream, icing sugar, reduced pear syrup and brandy in a bowl until firm peaks form when the whisk is removed. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

  9. To serve, lay the mint leaves in a circle on serving plates and place a scoop of ice cream on top. Spoon on a poached pear and drizzle over the reduced syrup. Top with a quenelle of the brandy cream and place two sable biscuits alongside.

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