Poaching Pears, Swiss chard rolls, Basil Pesto

2 March 2, 2011

Today we learned how to prepare poached pears mainly and other recipes.

Poached Pears

Stock for poaching  (5 Pots)

1.250 L red and white wine

8.750 L water

500 g sugar

Pinch of nutmeg

+- 10 cloves

2 tbls Judger berries

Pinch of ground ginger

4 oranges cut into quarters

For each Pot

3 Peeled Pears

2 L of mixed liquid (stock)

1 cinnamon stick

Bunch of mint

1 bay leaf

3 slices of orange

Peels of the pear for flavor

Leave the stem on when peeling the pear for presentation purposes. Keep the peels and add it to the stock for extra flavor. Let stock first reach boiling point. Add peeled pears and turn down heat to let stock simmer. Test pears to see when cooked. Remove pears from stock and let it cool down. Take knife and from backside of pear remove the core. Be careful not to squash the pear when holding it. Take some of the stock (poaching liquid) and let it reduce in a pan. The stock will start to thicken a little bit. To test that the reduced stock is ready use back of spoon and see that the liquid sticks a little and run down. Turn off the heat when stock is ready and add cream until color changes. Be sure to turn off the heat before adding the cream otherwise it will separate. Store remaining stock in wine bottles and refrigerate.

Italian style Basil Pesto

Bunch of Basil

Bunch of Rocket

Handful of chestnuts (crushed and chopped fine)

Bunch of Parsley

Cut all the above ingredients very fine (chiffonade) and mix. Then boil 2 potatoes, remove the skins add little butter for taste and mix together with basic pesto ingredients.

Then add

Olive oil

Pinch of salt

Pepper to taste

Lemon juice

Test and see that it does not look to dry otherwise just add more olive oil.

Swiss Chard Rolls

Brunoise onions

Fine Mushrooms

Chiffonade Spinach (cooked)

Fine olives

Fine rocket

Pinch of salt

Pinch of white pepper

Small cubes feta cheese

Small cubes of blue cheese

Fry onions until transparent. Add mushrooms, spinach, olives, rocket, salt and pepper. Let it cook then add feta cheese and blue cheese. Be careful not to let it burn black only brown and stick to the pan. To deglaze add little bit of white wine and remove burned brown spots in pan. This will add flavour. Turn heat off and add little bit of cream so that the ingredients can grab one another.

Roll out phyllo pastry. Keep damp so that the pastry cannot dry out. Cut single sheets into six pieces. Wipe one edge with melted butter using basting brush. Add filling keeping it away from the edges. Roll pastry half way and shape into rolls. Wipe rest of pastry with water using basting brush. Roll up completely. Shape edges so that the pastry looks like a cracker. Bind edges with shreds of leeks that were blanched for about 30 seconds. Bake in oven.