Timbale de Poires à la Valenciennes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6½-inch (16 cm) straight-sided Charlotte mould, about 1½ quarts (1.4 litres)
• •Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Fine-mesh sieve and pastry brush
• •Serrated knife and small spoon
• •12-inch (30 cm) wide skillet
• •Small saucepan and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the savarin paste

   Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the lukewarm milk and eggs, then beat with the paddle for 2 minutes on low and 6 to 8 minutes on medium, until the pâte à savarin is glossy, elastic, and sticky enough to pull into strands. Beat in the soft butter one spoonful at a time, waiting until each addition disappears before adding the next. The finished paste will be much softer than bread dough. If the butter remains in greasy streaks, don't add flour. Chill the bowl for 10 minutes, then resume beating until the paste gathers itself. Ça se rattrape.

   The butter must be soft enough to bend but never melted. Liquid butter coats the flour before the dough has built enough strength to hold the risen case.
2. 2

   Proof to two-thirds

   Butter the Charlotte mould thoroughly, including the rim. Scrape in the paste and smooth it with a damp spatula; at this scale it should occupy roughly one-third of the mould. Cover lightly and let it ferment in a warm place, about 75 to 79°F (24 to 26°C), until it reaches two-thirds of the mould's height, usually 45 to 75 minutes. This translates the formula's two-thirds measure to a small home mould without allowing the paste to climb over the rim. Judge the height, not the clock.

3. 3

   Bake and cool

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack just below the centre. Bake the risen savarin for 25 to 30 minutes, until its dome and sides are a deep butter-gold, the surface springs back, and the centre reaches about 200°F (93°C). If the dome colours before the centre is ready, lay foil loosely over it. Rest in the mould for 10 minutes, turn it onto a rack, and cool completely for about 45 minutes. A warm savarin tears instead of hollowing cleanly.

4. 4

   Prepare both apricot finishes

   For the apricot syrup, simmer the strained 100 g of jam with 30 ml water for 1 minute, then pass it through a fine sieve and keep it warm enough to brush. In the same rinsed saucepan, simmer the 200 g of jam with 80 ml water for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring until smooth. Strain this apricot sauce, remove it from the heat, and stir in the kirsch. Keep it warm, not boiling. If either preparation tightens too far, loosen it with water a teaspoon at a time; if the sauce is thin, reduce it before adding the kirsch.

5. 5

   Hollow the case

   Set the cooled savarin upright and cut off the top ¾ inch (2 cm) with a serrated knife, keeping it intact as the cover. Score a cavity inside the case, staying ⅝ to ¾ inch (1.5 to 2 cm) away from the sides and bottom, then remove only the pale crumb with your fingers and a small spoon. Leave the browned outer crust and a thick supporting wall untouched. This is the step that decides the dish. If you nick the crust, paint a small piece of reserved crumb with apricot syrup and press it over the cut from inside.

6. 6

   Glaze and band

   Set the hollow case on a rack over a tray. Brush its outer sides and the cover with a thin, even coat of warm apricot syrup. Working from the base upward, press on alternating horizontal bands of coarse sugar and finely chopped pistachios, rotating the case rather than lifting it. Decorate the cover with alternating rings in the same manner. If the syrup sets before the bands adhere, warm it gently and brush that area again. The decoration is not camouflage; the case should remain recognizably golden beneath it.

7. 7

   Cook the pears

   Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat until it foams. Add the thick pear slices in one roomy layer and cook them à la manière des pommes à la Charlotte, gently in butter until tender and concentrated, turning carefully so they keep their shape. After 10 to 14 minutes, the edges should be translucent and lightly golden with no watery pool beneath them. If the pears release too much juice, lift them out, reduce the liquid to a buttery glaze, and return them to the pan. Fold in the 150 g apricot jam, exactly one-quarter the prepared pear weight, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla liqueur.

8. 8

   Fill and serve

   Set the decorated case on a warm serving dish. Spoon in the warm pears and their apricot glaze without pressing against the walls, then replace the decorated cover. Pour the warm kirsch-flavoured apricot sauce into a sauceboat and serve it separately, exactly as the dish requires. Lift the cover at the table, cut the savarin case with a serrated knife, and give each portion pears and a spoonful of sauce. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Doyenné du Comice is the closest market pear to the Doyenne named in the formula. Choose fruit that yields slightly at the neck but remains firm through the body; a fully soft pear will become purée in the butter, while a hard pear stays grainy.
• •Weigh the pears after peeling and coring. The apricot jam in the filling must equal one-quarter of that prepared weight, so 600 g of pears takes 150 g of jam. If your yield differs, multiply it by 0.25.
• •Coarse pearl sugar or nib sugar is the honest equivalent of the formula's sugar grains. Fine sanding sugar absorbs the glaze and becomes a wet crust, while large grains remain distinct beside the pistachios.
• •Use unsalted pistachios with a lively green interior. If their skins are dark, blanch them for 1 minute, rub off the loosened skins, and dry them thoroughly before chopping; damp nuts won't adhere cleanly.
• •Bring the timbale to the table whole and lift the cover there. The reveal is part of its generosity, but serve without delay once filled because the warm pears will eventually soften even a well-baked case.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the savarin case up to 24 hours ahead. Once completely cool, keep it uncut and airtight at room temperature; hollow and decorate it on the day of serving.
• •The apricot syrup and the apricot sauce base can be made up to 2 days ahead and chilled separately. Rewarm them gently, then add the kirsch to the sauce off the heat.
• •Chop the pistachios a day ahead and keep them airtight. Keep the pearl sugar dry and decorate the case no more than 4 hours before serving so the grains remain distinct.
• •The pears may be cooked up to 2 hours ahead and reheated gently in their glaze. Fill the timbale only when it is going to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 255g)