Pears in wine, apples pancakes and custard

This is a triple dessert. You can prepare it as in my presentation or you can use just one of the three and even so have a fabulous dessert: pears in wine, apples pancakes or custard.

Pears in wine, apples pancakes and custard

Ingredients for the pears in wine:

4 small ripe william pears, peeled

400 ml of red wine

200 ml of water

80 gr of sugar

the skin of 1/2 orange

1 vanilla stick, graven by its length

1 cinnamon stick

1 clove

4 grains of pink pepper

a small piece of fresh ginger, 2 cm (or 2 pinches of ginger powder)

1 pinch of nutmeg

How to prepare the pears in wine:

Put all the ingredients, apart from the pears, in a pot (choose a pot of medium size, in order for the pears to be covered by the liquid when you will add them), cover with a lid and bring to the boil. When the liquid starts to boil, add the pears and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes, until the pears are tender.

Remove from the stove. Let cool and then put in the fridge for 12 hours.

Take the pears out of the liquid. Put the pot with the liquid back on the stove and boil until it will become like syrup (this might take around 15 minutes, but be careful because you risk to burn the sugar if you boil it too long). Then filter the liquid and discard the spices.

If you like to serve the pears on their own, prepare four individual bowls with a pear each and 2-3 spoons of wine syrup on the top.

Ingredients for the apples pancakes:

4 French (thin) pancakes

2 apples, peeled and diced

2 tbsp of sugar

1 knob of butter

1 cinnamon stick

4 tbsp of water

How to prepare the apples pancakes:

Put the apples, the sugar, the butter, the cinnamon and the water in a small pot. Cook covered on medium heat until the apples are tender. Then take the lid and cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the liquid. Take the pot from the stove and let cool.

Discard the cinnamon stick. Put 2-3 spoons of apples in the middle of each pancake and fold them in order to form four small packets.  Put the small packets on a backing tray covered with backing paper. Heat in the oven at 180⁰C for 5 minutes.

If you like to serve the apples pancakes on their own, prepare for individual plates with a pancake each. Then sprinkle with icing sugar.

Ingredients for the custard:

300 ml of milk

3 egg yolks

80 gr of sugar

3 tbsp of all-purpose flour

1/2 vanilla stick, graved by its length

 

How to prepare the custard:

Put the vanilla stick and the milk in a saucepan. Heat the milk on the stove until it will start to boil, then switch off and let it cool for 10 minutes, and then discard the vanilla stick. In a large microwave-proof bowl whisk the egg yolks with the sugar using a mixer. Whisk them for a few minutes until you will obtain a light yellow soft cream. Now add the flour and whisk again. Then, whisking all the time, pour the milk into the egg cream.

Now put the bowl in the microwave at maximum power for 1 minute. Then take it out, whisk and put it back for another minute. Stir it again and check if it is ready; the custard should now be dense. If the cream is still too loose put it back in the microwave for a minute more. Then let it cool.

If you like to serve the custard on its own. Prepare 4 individual bowls and pour in the custard. Decorate with two leaves of mint or a candy cherry.

For the whole presentation:

Prepare four plates. Spread in the middle of each plate 2 spoons of custard, add one apples pancake and one pear in wine, and then decorate with a little wine syrup.