9.17.2006

Pears, pink peppercorn ice cream & panini

I usually always eat a lot, but last week, in honor of my 29th birthday, I went a little overboard. To give both my wallet and digestive system a break, this week consisted mainly of leftovers -- with a few exceptions, of course.

Roasted Baby Pears with Herbed Goat Cheese


An impromptu potluck on Saturday night at the Sokorellis' started with this sweet and salty appetizer. Wrapped with thick slices of bacon and roasted till tender, the pears were accompanied by glasses of Ombra Prosecco.

Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches


Ever since my slight struggle with homemade ice cream sandwiches this summer, I've kept a distance from frozen treats. For our Saturday night potluck, I decided to dabble once again, this time focusing on some pink peppercorn ice cream. Slapped between two of Allison's saucer-sized Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies, it made a for a very sweet, spicy and satisfying second try.

Paninis at Ino
Whenever I crave panini, I make my way to Ino, a sliver of a spot on charming Bedford Street in the West Village. Kristen had never been, so today, after side by side reflexology treatments together at Angel Feet, she had her first introduction. As expected it was love at first bite.

We beat the brunch rush by just about five minutes and squeezed into the only available table (and also the teensiest) before ordering up two types of bruschetta to share (I selected my all-time favorite, the ricotta fresca with oven roasted tomatoes and Kristen picked the basil pesto). For our paninis, we split one with sweet coppa, hot peppers and rucola which was good, though it was the Italian sausage, fennel mustard and fontina that really hit the spot. Service was a bit spottier than usual, but the perfectly pressed sandwiches made up for that.




Roasted Baby Pears with Herbed Goat Cheese
From Tyler Florence

1/2 pound goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, thyme, and chives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 baby pears
12 slices bacon, about 1/2 pound, cut in 1/2
2 tablespoons honey
Arugula or dandelion greens, for garnish

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese, herbs, and 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Halve the pears and scoop out the seeds and cores. Stuff each pear half with about a tablespoon of the cheese. Wrap each stuffed pear with a slice of bacon and place it on a baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil over the pears and season them with salt and pepper. Bake them until the pears are tender and the bacon is crisp, about 25 to 30 minutes. Place the pears onto a platter, drizzle with the honey, and garnish with the arugula.

Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream
From Bon Appétit

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pink peppercorns, crushed (about 1/2 ounce)
7 large egg yolks

Bring milk, cream, sugar, and peppercorns to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; let stand at room temperature 1 hour for flavors to blend.

Bring milk mixture to simmer. Whisk egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolks. Return mixture to pan and stir over medium heat until finger leaves path on back of spoon when drawn across, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl; cover. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to container; cover and freeze. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.)

Makes about 6 cups.

Ino
21 Bedford Street
New York, NY
212-989-5769



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7 comments:

Anne Stesney said...

Leave it to a true foodie to give her wallet and stomach a break, yet still manage to have delectable treats throughout the weekend!

Exp. love the spicy ice cream/chocolate combo. I've just recently gotten into spicy/sweet flavors.

Started my recipe article for our class last night. I may have (non-literally) bitten off more than I can chew!

Anne Stesney said...

Leave it to a true foodie to give her wallet and stomach a break, yet still manage to have delectable treats throughout the weekend!

Exp. love the spicy ice cream/chocolate combo. I've just recently gotten into spicy/sweet flavors.

Started my recipe article for our class last night. I may have (non-literally) bitten off more than I can chew!

Lia said...

A girl can't survive on just leftovers -- even a leftover loving girl like myself!

I've always loved sweet and salty combos and am now really getting into spicy and sweet stuff. I highly recommend the pink peppercorn ice cream. It's not something I see myself craving all the time, but it did make for a very unique, and pretty dessert.

I have yet to begin my assignment but think today's the day. I also plan on bringing in some of what I'm writing about!

Kate in the Kitchen said...

Mmmmm....Tyler makes lovely food. And this sounded lovely

Anonymous said...

Interesting recipe. Yummy photos!

Anonymous said...

Pink peppercorn ice cream sounds very interesting. And you made it from scratch?! I'm very impressed. I actually made a pretty tasty dessert the other night, much to my own surprise. Dessert isn't really my specialty. Instead of pears for a main course, I baked barlett pears with butter, ginger, nutmeg and allspice (I didn't have cloves) and served them with raspberries. Very easy and very yum. Thanks Everyday Food magazine!

Lia said...

Kate, I've had lots of luck with Tyler's recipes and this one was particularly delicious.

Thanks Jessica! I think the new camera I got for my birthday is definitely helping me take better food photos.

And yes, Judith, from scratch! Making homemade ice cream is definitely labor intensive but also worth it. Since dinner was at Mark and Allison's, they lucked out with the leftover ice cream, though I did take home two of those amazing cookies. Your dessert sounds delicious. Baked fruit is the best.

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