Ingredients
Poached Pears & Purée
2 Anjou pears
8 fl oz water
4 fl oz white wine
4 fl oz chardonnay vinegar
7 oz sugar
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 pieces orange peel
1 shallot slice
1 clove garlic
Vinaigrette
4 fl oz Hazelnut oil
20ml chardonnay vinegar
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt & pepper
To Serve
Small wedges of Kikorangi blue cheese
Thinly sliced raw pear with skin on
Small salad leaves that also work are arugula, mustard leaf & kale
Method
Poached Pears & Purée
Peel and core the Anjou pears & discard the peeling & core, then poach whole in the above liquor for 15-20 minutes; when just cooked, take off and leave to cool.
When cold remove from stock & cut into nice presentable pieces (cube or rectangular), put the prepared pear shapes to one side & place the remaining offcuts in a blender with a ¼ scraped vanilla pod & a dash of pear liquor; blend until smooth.
For the red wine poached pears use the same poaching liquor but replace the white wine with red wine & chardonnay vinegar with cabernet sauvignon vinegar in the same quantity, cook the same way only there is no need for a puree so just cut into four length ways, remove any inner stalk or hard pieces.
For best results cook the pears a day before use.
Vinaigrette
Mix all together well and add a small amount of vanilla seeds
To Serve
Smear the puree along the centre of the plate and arrange the pears on top, place the cheese wedges & salad on the top. Place the raw pear in a bowl and dress with the vinaigrette.Roll the pear up to form a tube like shape; slot in between garnish.
Finally to finish the dishdrizzle some vinaigrette over and around the ingredients & garnish with small picked herbs or a suitable baby leaf.
Tips
For extra crunch serve some candied nuts with this and poach the pears in day in advance for great colour.