Poires à la Régence

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Narrow 3-quart saucepan for poaching
• •Parchment paper for a cartouche
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Small melon baller
• •Three shallow coating dishes
• •Heavy 6-quart pot for deep-frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire spider or broad slotted spoon
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Fine-mesh sieve

Instructions

1. 1

   Turn and poach

   Combine the water, syrup sugar, and split vanilla bean in a narrow saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Peel each pear, remove its stem, and turn it lightly with a paring knife to smooth the shape without whittling away good fruit. Lower the pears into the syrup and cover them with a parchment cartouche so they remain submerged. Poach at the barest tremble for 15 to 25 minutes, turning them gently once or twice, until a fine knife enters with slight resistance. Stop before they become completely soft because they continue cooking as the syrup cools.

   A wide pot demands a lake of syrup. Use the narrowest saucepan that holds the four pears in one layer, then let the parchment keep their exposed shoulders wet.
2. 2

   Cool in syrup

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the pears untouched in their vanilla syrup until the pan reaches room temperature. Refrigerate the whole pan for at least 2 hours, until the fruit is cold through. Don't move warm pears onto a tray. Their flesh is fragile immediately after poaching, while cooling in the syrup firms it enough to survive cutting, filling, coating, and frying. If time presses, set the saucepan in an ice-water bath and change the bath as it warms, keeping the pears submerged throughout.

3. 3

   Cook the rice

   Combine the rice with ¾ cup (180 ml) of the milk and the rice sugar in a small heavy saucepan. Bring it just to a simmer, then cook over very low heat for 22 to 28 minutes, stirring often, until the grains are tender and the mixture is thick enough for the spoon to leave a trail. Stir in the rice butter. If the milk disappears before the grains soften, add the reserved milk one spoonful at a time. If the rice catches, transfer the unburned portion immediately without scraping the pan floor. Spread it in a shallow bowl, cover its surface, and refrigerate promptly.

4. 4

   Make the frangipane

   Heat 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the remaining milk until it begins to quiver. In a small bowl, whisk the beaten yolk with the frangipane sugar, all-purpose flour, and almond flour. Whisk in the hot milk gradually, return everything to the saucepan, and cook over low heat until the cream thickens and gives one full bubble. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter. If it forms small lumps, press it through a fine sieve while warm. Ça se rattrape. Cover the surface and chill.

5. 5

   Mix and fill

   While the creams chill, combine the candied-fruit salpicon, the very fine even dice that lets the filling hold together, with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the Kirsch. Macerate for at least 20 minutes, then drain and reserve the Kirsch for the sauce. Weigh the cold cooked rice and fold in frangipane cream equal to exactly one-quarter of its weight, 25 g frangipane for every 100 g rice. Fold in the drained salpicon. Lift the cold pears from their syrup, reserve the syrup, and dry the fruit thoroughly. Cut each pear lengthwise, scoop away the core, and hollow each half only slightly, leaving at least ⅜ inch (1 cm) of flesh. Pack the hollows with filling, join the matching halves, and smooth the seam. If a pear slides apart, remove a little filling, wrap it snugly, and chill it for 15 minutes. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Paner à l’anglaise

   Arrange the coating ingredients in three shallow dishes: the coating flour, the prepared Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), and the very fine breadcrumbs. Roll each pear lightly in flour and brush away the excess. Coat it completely in the Anglaise, let the excess drain, then press the breadcrumbs over every surface until the crust is continuous, especially along the seam. Patch any bare place with a touch more Anglaise and breadcrumbs. Chill the coated pears uncovered for 30 minutes so the crust settles firmly around them.

7. 7

   Reduce the sauce

   Combine the apricot preserves with ⅓ cup (80 ml) of the reserved pear syrup. Simmer for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring, until smooth and glossy, then press through a fine sieve. Remove from the heat and stir in the Kirsch drained from the salpicon and the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh Kirsch. If the sauce tightens too far, loosen it with another spoonful of syrup; if it runs like juice, simmer it briefly before adding the Kirsch. Hold it warm in a small sauceboat.

8. 8

   Fry at the last moment

   Set a wire rack over a tray. Pour the oil into a heavy 6-quart pot, keeping the pot no more than half full, and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Lower one pear at a time into the oil with a spider or slotted spoon, directing it away from you. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning carefully, until the crust is evenly deep gold and firm. The pear and filling are already cooked; this last frying exists to set and color the crust. Let the oil return to 350°F before adding the next pear. If a crust comes out pale and oily, restore the heat and return that pear for 20 to 30 seconds. Drain each pear on the rack.

9. 9

   Stem and serve

   After each pear has drained for a minute, insert a piece of candied angelica into its neck to replace the stem. Arrange the pears upright on a clean folded napkin set over an oval platter, exactly as the dish intends, and carry them to the table at once. Pass the Kirsch-flavoured apricot sauce separately so each guest can spoon it around the pear without softening the crust before the first bite. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose firm Bosc or Conference pears that smell faintly ripe at the neck but don't yield under a thumb. A melting dessert pear may taste lovely raw, yet it won't endure poaching, cutting, rejoining, and frying.
• •The breadcrumb must be very fine. Grind dry white bread and pass it through a sieve if necessary; coarse flakes leave gaps around the pear, and gaps invite the filling into the frying fat.
• •Kirsch here means clear, dry cherry eau-de-vie, not a sweet cherry liqueur. Its clean fruit and almond note belongs with the pear, candied fruit, and apricot without making the sauce sugary.
• •Good apricot preserve is the classical pantry's honest answer for four servings. Simmering and straining restore the smooth, bright sauce the pastry station once kept ready by the panful.
• •Serve with demi-sec Champagne or strong black coffee. The dessert is generous enough, and the glass should sharpen the fruit rather than compete with it.

Advance Preparation

• •Poach the pears one day ahead and refrigerate them submerged in their vanilla syrup. Cold syrup protects their surface and keeps the fruit evenly perfumed.
• •The rice and frangipane cream can be prepared one day ahead, cooled promptly, and kept covered in the refrigerator. Combine them by weight only when assembling the pears.
• •The pears can be filled, coated, and refrigerated uncovered for up to 2 hours before serving. This short rest strengthens the crust, but longer storage begins to soften the breadcrumbs.
• •The apricot sauce can be strained earlier in the day. Warm it gently and stir in the Kirsch shortly before serving.
• •Frying cannot be done ahead. The resisting crust and tender pear are the point, and reheating turns that contrast dull.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)