overachievers always end up impressing everyone.
that’s why i selected a seemingly complicated, obviously beautiful, incredibly delicious recipe for my boyfriend and me to concoct for a holiday potluck dinner party.
pears + red wine + spices + mascarpone+ confectioner’s sugar = easy way to impress lots of people, gain friends, and appease enemies.
lovingly taken from michael chiarello of food network fame, i give you: the most wonderful thing you will ever introduce to your tongue.
ingredients
6 firm Bartlett pears
1 bottle red wine (plus, you know, maybe another if you wanna sip a little bit)
1 vanilla bean*
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 cups sugar
2 (8 oz.) containers mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch cinnamon*
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
6 firm Bartlett pears
1 bottle red wine (plus, you know, maybe another if you wanna sip a little bit)
1 vanilla bean*
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 cups sugar
2 (8 oz.) containers mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch cinnamon*
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsp butter
*fyi...vanilla beans are expensive, yo! if you are broke, like me, try adding in a teaspoon of vanilla extract when called for in the method, and add more to taste. the same goes with the (rather meager, i think) addition of a “pinch” of cinnamon. sprinkle some allspice, cloves, and nutmeg in there too, and you won’t be disappointed.
method
peel pears leaving stem intact.
in a large saucepan, add equal amounts of red wine and cold water and bring to a simmer. split vanilla bean lengthwise (or add desired amount of extract) and add to win and water mixture. add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and sugar, to taste. add pears and simmer 20 minutes, or until tender. cool the pears in the wine mixture to room temperature (the longer they soak, the more rich the color).
extract pears from wine sauce, reserving the sauce in the pan. carefullly remove the stems from the pears and reserve them. using an apple corer, remove the core from the pears, leaving them whole (gently insert corer through the top of the pear, and gingergly coax it around, pulling out the core. then slice the stemmed ends off the top of the pears and save them.)
whisk mascarpone, heavy cream, cinnamon, and powdered sugar until smooth. transfer to a pastry bag (or the poor man’s version, a gallon ziploc with a corner cut off). carefully squeeze the mixture into the cored pears, and finish off by placing the reserved stems on top.
bring the reserved sauce to a simmer and reduce it by half. once reduced, add butter and stir until combined. spoon the sauce atop the pears.
cool to room temperature, serve, and prepare to be inundated with overwhelming compliments.
*fyi...vanilla beans are expensive, yo! if you are broke, like me, try adding in a teaspoon of vanilla extract when called for in the method, and add more to taste. the same goes with the (rather meager, i think) addition of a “pinch” of cinnamon. sprinkle some allspice, cloves, and nutmeg in there too, and you won’t be disappointed.
method
peel pears leaving stem intact.
in a large saucepan, add equal amounts of red wine and cold water and bring to a simmer. split vanilla bean lengthwise (or add desired amount of extract) and add to win and water mixture. add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and sugar, to taste. add pears and simmer 20 minutes, or until tender. cool the pears in the wine mixture to room temperature (the longer they soak, the more rich the color).
extract pears from wine sauce, reserving the sauce in the pan. carefullly remove the stems from the pears and reserve them. using an apple corer, remove the core from the pears, leaving them whole (gently insert corer through the top of the pear, and gingergly coax it around, pulling out the core. then slice the stemmed ends off the top of the pears and save them.)
whisk mascarpone, heavy cream, cinnamon, and powdered sugar until smooth. transfer to a pastry bag (or the poor man’s version, a gallon ziploc with a corner cut off). carefully squeeze the mixture into the cored pears, and finish off by placing the reserved stems on top.
bring the reserved sauce to a simmer and reduce it by half. once reduced, add butter and stir until combined. spoon the sauce atop the pears.
cool to room temperature, serve, and prepare to be inundated with overwhelming compliments.