Champagne-Poached Pears
with dark chocolate sabayon & pistachio brittle Makes 2 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
FOR THE PEARS, COMBINE:
1
3/4 1 2
FOR THE BRITTLE, HEAT:
1/4 2
1/4
FOR THE SABAYON, WHISK:
2 1 1/4
2 1 bottle Champagne or dry sparkling white wine (750 ml) cup sugar tsp. each ground cardamom, ground ginger, and crushed pink peppercorns
Red d’Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled and bottoms trimmed cup sugar
Tbsp. each light corn syrup and water cup chopped roasted and salted pistachios egg yolks
Tbsp. sugar cup Champagne or sparkling wine
Tbsp. heavy cream
Pinch of table salt oz. extra-bittersweet (72%) bar chocolate, finely chopped
For the pears, combine Champagne, sugar, cardamom, ginger, and peppercorns in a saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, add pears, and simmer, turning frequently, until tender and cooked through, 40–45 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and let pears cool in liquid.
Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
For the brittle, heat sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan over medium-high to a boil without agitating, then swirl pan and cook until mixture turns deep golden brown, 6–7 minutes. Immediately pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with pistachios. Cool brittle completely, then break into pieces. For the sabayon, whisk together yolks and sugar in a stainless steel bowl until blended. Whisk in Champagne, cream, and salt. Place bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, making sure bowl does not touch water. Cook sabayon, whisking constantly, until sauce is thick and volume almost doubles, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan, add chocolate, and whisk until smooth.
Divide sabayon between serving dishes, nestle pears on top, and serve with brittle.
Per serving: 675 cal; 23g total fat (9g sat); 206mg chol; 115mg sodium; 98g carb; 8g fiber; 8g protein