Camomile pears and ice-cream
- 1 litre water
- 500ml white wine
- 600g white sugar
- 6 tbsp camomile tea
- 4 pears, peeled, left whole
- 500ml milk
- 12 egg yolks
- 500ml cream
The pears and camomile are a lovely match and the syrup is a wonderfully deep golden colour. Loose leaf tea works best in this recipe.
Method
To poach the pears, bring water, wine, 400g sugar and 3 tbsp camomile tea to the boil in a small saucepan. Add pears and cover with greaseproof paper and a plate to keep submerged. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Cover with a lid and remove from heat. Leave for 20 minutes before gently removing pears, pass syrup through a fine strainer and boil rapidly until reduced to a thick amber syrup. Pour over pears and refrigerate.
To make the ice-cream, bring remaining camomile tea and milk to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain into a clean saucepan. Whisk egg yolks and remaining sugar together in a large bowl. Reheat milk and pour over yolks, whisk together and return to saucepan. Cook gently, stirring regularly with a flat-bottomed spoon until mixture coats the back of the spoon, about 15-20 minutes. Strain and chill immediately. Add cream and churn in an ice-cream churner according to instructions. Serve with pears and a drizzle of the camomile syrup.
Serves 4
