Pears with whisky cream & rye crumble plus a cocktail with 'leftovers'
FREE TO READ: poached pears with rye whisky cream and stove-top rye crumble. Plus, a sort of whisky sour with the pear syrup leftover.
Raiding the freezer for inspiration, I find a tub of poached pears.
A freezer raid always feels like the culinary version of that game in Whose Line is it Anyway where contestants get given the first phrase of a sentence then have to invent a story from there. I find some poached pear and I make…um…
More inspiration comes from the booze cabinet.
As it often does. I have a bottle of Fielden rye whisky which was left over from the publication eve party for my new book, Rough Patch.
Fielden, very generously provided all the drinks and it all felt like a lovely match since they grow their own grain in the UK and do so in a sustainable way. A book about getting back to the land toasted with a drink that helps regenerates the land. Neat.
Anyway, it was a generous favour and, though they didn’t ask for it, I’ve been keen to try a couple of recipes with the whisky and am delighted to share those with you this week. The first is a dangerously easy pudding, the second a cocktail with the ‘leftovers’ from the first.
And all thanks to a little inspiration from the freezer…
(GIFTED: For full transparency, Fielden provided the party drinks for free and gave me this bottle. A post isn’t part of the arrangement, but their support of farmers is so impressive that I wanted to share it with you. I hope that’s ok - I don’t want to get all QVC about things here.)
Pears with whisky cream & rye crumble
Rye whisky has a smooth, spiced flavour which lends itself to cocktails, cooking and pairing. I’ve used rye flour in the crumble in a nod to the whisky’s biscuity flavours. And pears, it turns out, are a classic combo with whisky. You can use tinned pears too if you’re in a real hurry for pudding.
Serves 2
2 small pears
200g caster sugar
150g double cream
1-2 tbsp rye whisky
For the crumble:
25g salted butter, softened
20g wholemeal rye flour
15g jumbo oats
10g oatmeal
15g soft light brown sugar
15g hazelnuts, chopped
20g raisins
In a small saucepan, dissolve the caster sugar in 200ml of water over a gentle heat. Once dissolved, turn the heat up to just below a simmer.
Peel, halve and core the pears and place them in the syrup then clamp on a lid. Bring to a very gentle simmer and poach, lid on, for 20 minutes then remove from the heat and leave the pears fully submerged in the liquid until cooled.
Whisk the cream, whisky and 2 tablespoons of pear syrup to very soft peaks.
For the crumble, place everything in a small bowl and rub the butter into the dry ingredients. Tip the rubble into a frying pan set over a medium heat and fry for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until golden. Tip into a container to cool.
To serve, spoon the drained pears into two bowls. Top with a pillow of whisky cream, sprinkle with crumble and serve immediately.
A Sort of Whisky Sour
Welcome bi-products of the dessert recipe are an open bottle of whisky and a lot of pear-flavoured syrup. Which, happily, make an excellent cocktail.
Serves 2
60ml rye whisky
50ml pear syrup (from poaching recipe)
20ml lemon juice
Ice
Sliced pear, to serve
Put everything in a shaker and give it hell. Strain into a tumbler with plenty of ice and finish with a slice of pear.
Fielden, what an interesting story. Love it … exactly the sort of product we’d have sought out in our deli days. Do you know of Two Fields … olive oil produced regeneratively in Crete. Amazing taste. Patient approach. Important stories.
I made the poached pear crumble with whiskey cream for dessert this evening. Delicious! Thank you.