La Dame de Pic, aka Anne-Sophie Pic, is France and the world's most starred chef. Her style is characterized by delicate elegance, entirely feminine, appealing to both the eyes and the palate. Just like these pears drowned in Crème de Cassis with coffee fondant, the recipe of which she personally shared on social media, dating back to 2020.
Recipe and cover photo taken from Anne-Sophie Pic's Facebook Page
Photo by Mickael Roulier
The dish
The pear has always been a star of autumn and winter plated desserts: its firm and granular texture, tamed by cooking with reductions and syrups, ends up melting in the mouth, blending contrasting flavors from chocolate to red wine. Anne-Sophie Pic, who has often used it in her famous three-star creations, combines it with the alcoholic and tangy softness of Crème de Cassis and the bitter aromaticity of coffee, used only in infusion. While preserving the fruit's original appearance, she gives it a contemporary taste.
The pairing suggested by Lionella Genovese, the soul of Eleganza Veneta, is an Orvieto Classico Superiore DOC Muffa Nobile Palazzone 2019: "Orvieto is one of the rare Italian areas dedicated to the production of sweet wines, and the noble rot gives birth to the precious Muffa Nobile. This expression is a relic of rare craftsmanship as well as ancient traditions. Orvieto's noble rot wines compete with the oldest and most renowned in the world, thanks to their elegance. With the pear, it finds the right pairing without overshadowing the complexity of the recipe. Visually, the color blends with the fruit's shades, igniting the tones, and the great complexity of the noble rot accompanies the dessert in all its components. The finish is very delicate and harmonious, thanks to the balance between the acidic component and sugars."
Poached Pear, Vanilla, Blackcurrant, Coffee Fondant
Ingredients for 4 people
For the coffee fondant
- 16g coffee beans
- 200g milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 160g caster sugar
- 2 ½ gelatine leaves
- 1cl of Pastis
- 180g butter
Method
The night before, macerate coffee beans in milk.
The next day, whisk egg yolks with egg and sugar in a bowl. Pour through a strainer into filtered milk and mix.
Heat the mixture on low heat until it thickens like custard.
Soak gelatin in cold water for a few minutes and incorporate it.
Blend the sauce and pass it through a fine sieve. Incorporate Pastis.
Cover with paper and let it cool for an hour.
Blend again, incorporating softened but not melted butter.
Pour into four ring molds and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
For the poached pears
- 4 pears
- 150g Crème de Cassis
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pods
Method
In a saucepan, boil 1 litre of water with the sugar, the vanilla pod cut in half and the crème de cassis.
Peel the pears, cut them in half lengthwise, hollow them out roughly and then dip them in the syrup. Poach them for 20 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, drain the pears, and reduce the syrup to a concentrated sauce.
For the vanilla tiles
- 1 vanilla pod
- 30g icing sugar
- 30g butter
- 1 egg white
- 30g flour
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Mix softened butter and icing sugar with seeds scraped from the vanilla bean. Then incorporate the egg white and flour.
Spread the preparation on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to form tiles. Bake in the preheated oven for 6 minutes.
Upon exiting the oven, immediately remove the tiles and round them on a rolling pin.
Plating
Place the coffee fondant in the center of the plate, scoop the center out with a spoon, and place the pears on top.
Gently nap with syrup and serve with a tile
