Food Wine Sleep

Ingredients List

For the Pears
4 Pears
2 cups water
1 cup cabernet sauvignon
1/2 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon
For the Sabayon
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup of Marsala (or any fortified or sweet wine or sherry)

Recipe Description

When I was 18, a few friends and I were backpacking around Australia and during that time we held all sorts of odd jobs. One of which was fruit picking, pears in particular. From those weeks on the ladders and in the trees we all learnt many things, namely not to take for granted the amount of work that goes into getting produce into our supermarkets, but also 1001 ways to eat pears. To be totally honest with you for 5 years afterwards I couldn't look at another pear.

Anyhow long story short, after my 5 years of a pearless diet since, I was ready to gradually start eating them again. I am now back to loving them again as I'm no longer a backpacking teenager eating them 10 times a day (income you see, while backpacking was not for spending on a varied diet but for beer). I'm glad to be back and I'm very glad to share with you my favourite recipe for them. A recipe that again demonstrates the less you mess with the food the better.

Method Description

For the Pears
Pour water, wine and sugar into saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Peel pears carefully, leaving stem attached (squeeze lemon over each pear as you finish peeling it to prevent it from browning).
Cut the bottom of each pear flat so it will present standing up later.
Place pears in liquid in saucepan along with the cinnamon (you may need to add more liquid depending on the shape of your pot, or float something like an empty mixing bowl on top of the pears to keep them submerged).
Place the saucepan on high heat and bring it to the boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 15 minutes, gently turning pears occasionally.
Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and transfer to the fridge.
Meanwhile add a few more tablespoons of sugar to the liquid and place it on med-high heat and reduce it by 3/4s, so it is slightly syrupy when chilled.
When you are ready to serve bring the pears and syrup back up to room temperature
Portion the syrup amongst 4 bowls and set a pear in each then proceed on with the sabayon prep.
For the Sabayon
Place a saucepan with about 2 cms (1 inch) water in it on high heat to boil, and reduce to a rapid simmer
Place the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and add the sugar.
Whisk until the yolks and sugar are thick.
Place the bowl on top of the simmering water and whisk vigorously until the mixture starts to become even thicker and almost double in volume.
Add the Marsala and continue whisking vigorously until the mixture is thick and very frothy.
Pour a little on each pear and serve immediately.