Pears Part Of A Pair Of Heavenly Desserts

This week on Sam Choy’s Kitchen, pastry chef Ron Viloria prepares Warm Pear Charlotte and Coconut Panna Cotta. This show originally aired Feb. 23, 2008.

Warm Pear Charlotte

For the warm pear charlotte: 1 7-ounce ramekin (small, round, glazed ceramic dish used to serve crème brulee, soufflé)

3 slices bread, trimmed 3 ounces butter 1 piece, cinnamon stick

Butter the ramekin. Melt the butter together with the cinnamon stick. Dip the bread in the infused butter and line the bottom and the sides of the ramekin with the bread.

1 whole pear, peeled and diced (Barlett or Comice)

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 piece vanilla bean
1 piece cinnamon stick
1 3/4 tablespoons sugar

Melt butter with the vanilla bean and the cinnamon stick in a pan and add the pear and the sugar. Cook the pear until caramelized. Fill the ramekin with the pear mixture and top with a piece of buttered bread. Press firmly on the top to even out the top of the charlotte. Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 15 minutes. Unmold.

For the cinnamon crumble:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients until they form a crumble. Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.

For the pear shavings: 1 piece of pear Slice the pear with a mandolin (Japanese slicer) as thin as you can without shredding the pear. Place on a pan lined with a silpat mat (made of silicone and fiber-glass, which replaces the need for parchment paper). Bake in a 300 degree F. oven for 20-30 minutes until dried and lightly browned.

For the vanilla foam: 1 cup milk

3 egg yolks
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 piece vanilla bean
1 gram gelatin

Combine the milk and vanilla bean in a pot and bring to a boil. Combine the egg yolk and sugar in a bowl and mix well. When the milk comes to a boil, add it to the egg yolk mixture while mixing. Return to the pot and, with a spatula, continuously stir the mixture until it thickens or reaches 180 degrees F.

Dissolve the gelatin in water and add it to the sauce. Cool down the sauce over an ice bath, You can create a foam by using a hand blender.

To plate: Place the charlotte in the center of the plate. Garnish with the cinnamon crumble. Top with vanilla ice cream and arrange the pear shavings around the ice cream. Finally, using a spoon, place a spoonful of the foam around the charlotte.

Coconut Panna Cotta

For the coconut panna cotta:

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 piece vanilla bean
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon gelatin

Combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla bean in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the coconut flakes and remove from the heat. Allow to sit 5 minutes. Soften the gelatin in cold water and add to the hot milk. Pour into a white wine glass and chill.

For the compote:

1 piece of peach
2 cups red wine/water
50/50 1 cup sugar
1 stick cinnamon
Half piece vanilla bean
Half lemon (lemon peel)

Place all of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the peach, remove from the heat, and cover with a plastic wrap. Allow to sit until cooled. Cut the peaches in segments.

For the sauce: Bring some of the compote sauce to a boil. Make a slurry with cornstarch and water. Add enough of the cornstarch slurry to the compote liquid to thicken it to the point where it coats the back of a spoon. Cool.

To assemble: Top the panna cotta with vanilla ice cream and top with the peach compote and sauce.

(Watch “Sam Choy’s Kitchen” Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. on KHNL News 8.)