1 hour 15 minutes, plus overnight to set the ice cream
PT1H15M
Now for something completely different! Chorizo in a dessert is bound to raise eyebrows, but by cleverly combining it with sweet poached pear and earthy chestnuts, everything balances out to create a pleasing sweet-salty contrast that's surprisingly moreish. Don't know it until you've tried it!
Begin by preparing the ice cream, which can be made in advance. Place the diced chorizo in a saucepan over a low-medium heat and gently cook until the oil renders out and the chorizo begins to crisp up
Meanwhile, pour the milk and cream into a separate pan and gently bring to the boil. Once boiling and the chorizo is ready, pour the milk mixture over the chorizo, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool and infuse
240g of whipping cream
185g of whole milk
3
Whisk the sugar, egg yolks and trimoline together until frothy. Strain the milk through a fine sieve into a clean pan and bring to the boil once more over a low heat. Whisk a little of the hot milk into the eggs to temper, then gradually pour the eggs into the milk. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 75°C. Chill quickly, then churn in an ice cream maker and reserve in the fridge until needed. Note that if you're using honey or maple syrup instead of trimoline, the ice cream may start to crystallise a little if making this a few weeks in advance
To make the pear gel, get your 4 serving bowls ready (around 10 inches in diameter) – the gel will be set in these. Pour the puree and water (or juice) into a saucepan and whisk in the agar agar and sugar. Leave to rest for 5 minutes while you soak the gelatine leaf in cold water
Place the pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil, whisking constantly. Once boiling, cook for 20 seconds, then remove from the heat, squeeze the gelatine to drain and whisk it into the hot liquid until dissolved. Pour the liquid into your 4 serving bowls, then transfer to the fridge to chill and set
6
For the poached pears, pour the wine into a saucepan and simmer until reduced by a quarter. Add the vanilla seeds (save the pod for another use, such as flavouring sugar) as well as the sugar and water, then heat until dissolved. Meanwhile, peel and core the pears, then place them into the liquid and cook for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Leave to cool in the liquid
To make the crème pat, place the milk and chestnut purée in a saucepan and warm over a low heat, until the two combine. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until pale and frothy, then stir in the flour and cornflour
Remove from the heat, cover the pan with cling film and leave to cool. Once cooled, whisk again, then transfer to a piping bag and reserve in the fridge until needed
9
For the chorizo crisp garnish, preheat an oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Place the slices of chorizo on a tray lined with baking paper, then place another sheet of baking paper and another baking tray on top. Score a cross into the base of each chestnut, then place both the chestnuts and the chorizo into the oven. After 10-15 minutes, the chorizo should have crisped up, so remove it from the heat and allow to cool
4 slices of
chorizo, the thin, ready to eat variety
10
Continue cooking the chestnuts until they are crisped up but not fully cooked – roughly around another 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, take off the shell and set aside
11
You now have all the elements needed to plate this dish. To serve, remove the poached pears from their liquor and place on the set pear gel. Pipe the chestnut crème pat around it, then add a quenelle of the chorizo ice cream. Finish with shards of the chorizo slices and shavings of the roast chestnuts
