Guilty Pleasure

At your next dinner party consider tempting your guest with a decadent dessert that is sure to please just about any palate. Award-winning pastry chef Rhonda Viani from Vancouver’s West Restaurant, also known as the “jewel in Vancouver’s culinary crown,” presents Sherry-Poached Pears with a Pear and Raisin Compote and Maple-Roasted Walnuts. With a fruit alternative to the typical chocolate selection, this upscale dessert offering is bound to make tastebuds tingle at your next soiree.

Sherry-poached pears with a pear and raisin compote and maple-roasted walnuts

By Rhonda Viani West Restaurant
 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
 

Poached and Roasted Pears

4 ripe Bartlett pears
1 1/4 cups oloroso sherry
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp honey
zest of 1/2 orange
juice  of 1/2 lemon
Maple Roasted Walnuts
3/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup maple syrup

Crispy Filo

1 tsp honey
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 sheets filo dough

METHOD
 

Poached and Roasted Pears
Peel, core and slice off the bottom half of each pear. Dice the bottom halves and set aside. Place pear tops in a medium saucepan with sherry, sugar and orange zest and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Allow to cool. Remove pear tops from the liquid and set aside. Heat 3/4 cup of the liquid on medium heat until reduced to a syrup, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a small roasting pan, combine diced pears, black pepper, raisins, honey and lemon juice. Roast this mixture in the oven, stirring periodically, until pears are tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Maple-Roasted Walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and lightly toast them in the oven for 10 minutes. Shake off and discard the skin from the nuts. Drizzle nuts with syrup and toss to coat. Return to the oven and, stirring every 5 minutes, bake until all the maple syrup has crystallized, about 20 minutes.

Crispy Filo
Preheat the oven to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together honey and butter and brush onto one sheet of filo dough. Place the other sheet on top and flatten with a rolling pin. Brush the top with the honey butter. Cut the dough into dime-thick strips and lay them out on the baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown.

To Serve
Roughly chop walnuts and toss with roasted pear mixture. Divide the pear and walnut mixture among four ring moulds the same diameter as the pear tops, pressing down gently with the back of a spoon. Carefully remove rings. Place the poached pear on top and drizzle sherry reduction over the pear. Sprinkle filo strips around the pear to look like a nest.

Photo courtesy Top Table