The Princess Diaries. Location: Genovia. National fruit: The Genovian Pear.
Seriously, who doesn’t want to live in a fantasy world these days? I’d rather be in one governed by Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo, and Anne Hathaway than by... well, you finish the sentence. But I digress…
It is the Genovian Pear - or, actually, the red Anjou pear - that inspired today’s recipe. This has nothing to do with the watching Princess Diaries last night. Maybe.
Pears and blue cheese are a very traditional combination. There is such comfort in having them together with a glass of port after dinner. A salad of pears, blue cheese, and walnuts are the sumptuous side of winter.
Why not bring this all together and make one incredible first course? Voilà! These blue cheese and pear timbales on spinach with walnuts.
This is a very simple yet elegant dish for Valentine's Day. Any creamy blue cheese will work, although I used the wonderful goat blue cheese made by my friends at Fiore di Capra.
Blue cheeses can be difficult to pair with wine; I suggest something on the sweet side: - a Premiere Grives Tariquet (white or rosé), Sauternes, late-harvest Riesling, etc.
Happy Valentine's Day to all!
~ David
Goat Blue and Pear Timbales
butter for the ramekins
parchment
2 5-inch sprigs rosemary, leaves only
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream
4 ounces blue goat cheese, or other blue cheese
2 eggs
salt
1/2 firm-ripe pear, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
baby spinach leaves, about 8-10 per serving
4 whole walnut halves, plus chopped walnuts, for garnish
floral honey for drizzling
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 4 3/4-cup ramekins, and line the bottom with a round of parchment. Lightly butter the parchment. Set a kettle of water to heat on the back burner.
Using a spice grinder, pulverize the rosemary leaves and white peppercorns into a fine dust. Place about 1/2 teaspoon in each ramekin; tilt and swirl to coat the bottoms. Divide the remaining rosemary-pepper mixture among the four ramekins and shake to distribute evenly. Place in the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan. Set aside.
Cut goat cheese into two pieces. Crumble one, and cut the other into cubes, Place cream and crumbled cheese into a large bowl and whisk until smooth and thick - the cheese will not fully dissolve but you will notice a difference. Add eggs and a pinch of salt. Whisk again. Then gently stir in the cheese cubes.
Divide the cheese mixture among the 4 ramekins, then divide the pear cubes among the four and press them down into the cheese mixture.
Place pan with the filled ramekins in the oven and carefully pour boiling water from the kettle around the ramekins until it comes 3/4 of the way up the outsides.
Bake for 30 minutes, then allow to cool at least 30 minutes on a rack. If not cooled properly, they will fall apart.
Arrange spinach leaves on 4 plates.
Loosen the sides if the custards with a very thin knife blade, and invert onto the spinach beds on each plate. Make sure to remove the parchment if it didn’t stay in the ramekins. Top each custard with a walnut half, sprinkle chopped nuts around and give a light drizzle of honey to the whole.
Serves 4.
Labels: blue cheese, elegant, fiore di capra, first course, goat blue, pear, timbales
