Recipe and photo courtesy of Liz Harris (Floating Kitchen)
ELEMENT
For pears
2 firm pears, peeled, halved and grated (Bosc or similar)
3 cardamoms, lightly crushed.
1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup (Grade B, if you can find it)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) brandy
1/2 fresh vanilla bean, seeded and grated
For sauces and salads
3 tablespoons (45 ml) champagne or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of reserve poaching liquid
1/8 teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt
1/8 teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper
2 scared little heads
1 cup (120 g) walnuts, toasted
1 cup (115 g) blue cheese, crumbled
GUIDE
For pears
Fill and preheat the BioloMix SousVide water oven to 158F/70C.
Place the pear halves and cardamom pods in a large bag to cook.
In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, brandy, and vanilla bean and pour the mixture over the pears in the cooking bag.
Vacuum seal the bag at the Humidity setting, if available, being very careful not to draw liquid into the vacuum buffer. Alternatively, you can use a large zip-lock cooking bag and use the displacement method to remove as much air from the bag as possible before sealing it.
Dip the cooking bag in the water bath to cook for 30 to 40 minutes.
Carefully remove the cooking bag; The pear should be soft, but still retain some resistance. Take them out of the cooking bag and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of liquid in the bag.
Make ice; In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, dedicated bleach solution, and salt and pepper.
Leave the disc
Divide the filling evenly among 4 bowls. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of ice over the body. Place a quarter of a walnut and blue cheese on top of each portion and top with half of a boiled pear.
Serve immediately.
*If you are serving this as an appetizer to a large meal, choose a slightly smaller portion. You can cut pears into quarters, divide the salad into 8 plates.
