Ingredients:
750ml cranberry juice
125ml rose verjuice
60g caster sugar
3 star anise
1 cinnamon quill
2 just-ripe beurre bosc pears, peeled and cored
Tuille
65 g softened butter
65g icing sugar
2 egg whites
65g plain flour
Mascarpone Cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp icing sugar
150ml thickened cream
80g mascarpone
Method:
1. For step 3 you will need to make a cartouche. For the cartouche, cut a 30cm piece of baking paper from the roll. Fold into quarters. Fold the square in half, and in half again. Keep folding the same way so that the tip becomes the center. Hold the tip of the cartouche to the center of the medium saucepan, tear or cut off any paper that extends beyond the edge of the pan. Open out to a circle - the cartouche is ready. The cartouche can be a bit larger than the pan so don't worry if you make it too big.
2. Combine cranberry juice, verjuice, sugar, star anise and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
3. Using a melon baller, scoop the core out of the pears. Peel the pears, keeping the stalk intact, then place into the liquid. Cover with the cartouche, turning pears occasionally, for 35 minutes or until tender – this can be checked with a skewer inserted into the thickest part of pear. Remove from heat then carefully remove the pears from the liquid.
4. Place 2 ladles of poaching liquid into a clean saucepan (approx 200ml) including the cinnamon and star anise and return to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes or until syrupy. Stand until ready to serve.
5. Preheat oven to 160'C fan forced.
6. For the tuille, sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Place butter, egg whites and sifted sugar flour mixture to the chopper attachment and blend with the stick blender until smooth. Place mixture into the fridge to chill for at least 5 minutes.
7. Using a spatula, wipe the tuille mix over the stencil onto greaseproof paper, remove stencil and cook at 160'C for 5-6 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges. Carefully remove from oven, using a spatula place the tuille onto a rolling pin and let cool to shape.
8. Combine thickened cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixer and whisk until soft peaks. Add the mascarpone and whip for a further minute until thick and fluffy. Place into the fridge to chill for 3-5 minutes.
9. To serve place one pear onto a rectangular serving plate. Spoon the mascarpone cream onto the plate, then garnish with star anise and cinnamon. Strain the reduced syrup in a small jug and garnish plate with tuille biscuit.
