Armagnac parfait with a poached pear and praline biscuit – by Martin Wishart
Ingredients (serves four)
100g caster sugar
3tbs water
5 egg yolks
250ml double cream, semi-whipped
25ml Armagnac
100g praline
For the pear coulis 2 litres stock syrup
1 cinnamon stick
4 comice pears, peeled
Lemon juice
Method
Put the sugar in a saucepan with the water. Using a thermometer, bring the sugar to a soft ball. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and add the sugar while still hot.
Continue to whisk to a thick sabayon. Fold in the cream and Armagnac, pour into 7cm stainless-steel moulds and set in the freezer.
To make the pear coulis, bring the stock syrup to the boil with the cinnamon stick. Add the pears, cover with a paper cartouche, simmer for 15 minutes and allow to cool. Remove the tops from the pears and reserve. Remove the cores and purée the pears with the syrup. Add a few drops of lemon juice.
Using a standard praline recipe, crush to a fine powder then finely sprinkle four 8cm discs on to a non-stick mat and cook until golden.
Serve the pear coulis inside a border of piped chocolate with the parfait on top. Decorate with a praline disc and an optional quenelle of chantilly, a tuile and pieces of poached pear.
by Martin Wishart
Photo © Alan Donaldson