(Serves 4)

Pear

500 g sugar

500 ml water

50 ml lemon juice

100 ml Muscat

4 small Bosc pears

Heat all liquid ingredients and sugar until it is dissolved. 

Peel pears lengthways and downward to keep neat. 

Submerge the pears in the liquid with a cartouche or plate and very gently simmer until the pears are tender, but not soft. 

Remove from heat and allow them to cool in the poaching liquor. 

Take 150 ml of the liquor and reduce to 50 ml for plate garnish.

Doughnut

150 g strong flour

Pinch of salt

20 g butter

30 g castor sugar

10 g dried yeast

65 ml milk (at 37 ^oC)

½ egg beaten

30 g icing sugar

20g muscovado sugar

Blend the flour and butter in a food processor until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 

Heat milk to 37^oC and stir in the yeast. 

Put the flour into a small beater and pour in the egg and milk and beat on medium until the mixture is combined and comes away from the edge of the bowl. 

Move the mixture into a bowl and cover with a damp towel.  Allow to prove.

Knock mix back and shape into a ring or use a savarin tin.  Allow to prove again. 

Fry in cottonseed oil at 150^oC until golden.  Remove and drain on paper.

Sift the icing sugar and the muscovado and roll the doughnut in it while it is warm.

Cocoa Tuille

1 egg white

38 g icing sugar

30 g plain flour

20 g Dutch cocoa powder

25 g unsalted butter

Melt butter and allow to cool.  Sift the cocoa and flour. 

Whisk the egg whites and icing sugar gently for about 30 seconds.  Stir through the flour cocoa mix. 

Pour in the butter and mix to a smooth paste. 

Paste onto a silpat mat or baking paper.  Either cut a circular mould from a plastic lid or cut with circle cutters once cooked (this will result in wastage).

Bake in oven at 160^oC.  This may take a bit of practice as it is sometimes difficult to tell if the biscuit is done because of the colour.

Espresso Ice Cream

3 egg yolks

55 g white sugar

250 ml litres milk

¼ vanilla bean, scraped

2 tbsp crushed or ground coffee beans

80 ml cream

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy. 

Wrap the coffee beans in muslin cloth and tie. 

Heat the vanilla bean, coffee and milk then pour over the egg mix. 

Place back on the heat and continue to cook, stirring continuously with a whisk to 82^oC. 

Strain and continue to cool using a large ladle to aerate.

Gently whip cream until aerated but not reaching soft peak.  Fold through the base mix, then churn.  NB. This mix will make about 10 scoops.  Any less won’t churn in our ice cream machine!

Toffee

30 g castor sugar

Dissolve the sugar in a dry pan with out water over a low heat. 

Continue to stir or it will burn. Allow to cool enough to handle. 

Drag around a lightly oiled steel.  Remove and garnish pear.

To Serve

Take the pear from its syrup and core with a parisienne scoop.  The pear should be served at room temperature. 

Pipe the ice cream into the bottom of the pear. 

Sit the warm doughnut into the centre of the plate or bowl. 

Place the pear onto the doughnut and sit the tuille on top. 

Drizzle the Muscat syrup around the plate.  Garnish with toffee curl.

serve with evening star late harvest riesling