Pomegranate Poached Pear, Warm Spice Cake & Port Fruit Compote

From: Pastry chef Suzanne Imaz, One Sixty Blue, Chicago. Yield: 28 servings.

Spiced Financier:

625 g browned butter

¼ tsp. Chinese five spice

1¼ tsp. ground ginger

⅝ tsp. fennel seeds

⅝ tsp. whole cloves

⅝ tsp. ground cardamom

625 g egg whites

650 g 10X sugar

100 g local honey

180 g molasses

250 g almond flour

250 g flour

Pomegranate Poached Pears:

1 K The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley Pomegranate Concentrate

1 K water

500 g sugar

16 g orange juice

36 g lemon juice

14 Bosc pears, halved and cored

Port-Fruit Compote:

160 g dried currants

160 g brunoise of dried pear

160 g brunoise of dried cherries

160 g dried black mission figs

400 ml port wine

40 g muscovado sugar

6 g pectin

Garnish:

as needed, Greek yogurt ice cream

as needed, Perfect Purée of Napa Valley Pear

For Spiced Financier: Brown butter and set aside. Grind spices in spice grinder. Mix egg whites, sugar, honey and molasses with whip in mixer. Add in flour, amlond flour and spices. Add in butter. Bake at 350°F in a convection oven about 18 minutes, until center of cakes spring back. Cool, freeze and unmold.

For Pomegranate Poached Pears: Combine all ingredients. Cover with vented parchment and weigh down with a lid or plate to keep the pears submerged. Simmer until pears are tender.

For Port-Fruit Compote: Heat port until warm. Combine sugar and pectin and add to port. Bring to boil and add dried fruit.

Plate as desired. Garnish with Greek yogurt ice cream and the Perfect Purée of Napa Valley Pear.
PERFECT PUREE OF NAPA VALLEY