To be perfectly honest, I don’t love, love, love pears; too soft or too mushy, um no thank you. They have to be just right with the certain amount of under-ripe crunch for me to get on board, but roasting them and blending them into a sweet puree takes all the textural weirdness out of the equation.
Pears are slightly less acidic than their apple-ly orchard counterpart, but their flavour holds up to a wide range of flavours ranging from the tannic notes of red wine, to the sharpness of old cheese, to the floral notes of ground cardamom. And of course, brandy, as in the classic eau de vie poire, which has been a post-meal digestive favourite in the likes of Europe for centuries.
As I sit here writing, the rain is pouring down, and I seriously can’t think of any better way to cozy into these type of days than with the amp’d up flavours that can only come with roasting fruit, and the warming feeling that can only come with hits of both brandy and gin.
Roasted Pears
6 pears
1/2 cup water
Ginger Simple Syrup
6 inches piece of ginger
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half
1 1/2 cup water
Pear Cocktail
1 oz roasted pear puree
Pinch of ground cardamom
1/2 oz brandy
1 oz gin
1/2 oz ginger simple syrup
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice
For roasted pears preheat oven to 350F. Lay pears flat side down in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, with water for about 30 minutes. Let cool and pour all contents into a blender. Puree until completely smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and store.
For ginger syrup gently heat ginger, vanilla bean, sugar and water over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Allow ginger and vanilla to steep for at least 30 minutes. Remove ginger and vanilla and allow mixture to cool completely.
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds. Strain into cocktail glasses.
