Savarin with Poached Pears

Savarin was created by the famous (well not Kim Kardashian famous!) Julien brothers in 1834, when Auguste saw some pastry chefs soaking Genoese sponges. Inspired by this idea, he experimented with new recipes and different types of syrup. One of his brother’s creations was the savarin, initially made with wheat flour, sugar, eggs, diced orange peel, salt, yeast and milk and placed in a special ring mould sprinkled with nibbed almonds. The Savarin was then soaked with the syrup specially created by Auguste. Are you bored yet? Don’t be because there is nothing boring about one of the oldest French classics! A rich fermented dough, which is proved and baked. It is then soaked in sweet syrup flavoured traditionally with rum! I wanted to create a twist on the French classic by adding turmeric to the syrup and poaching pears in it which gives them a beautiful deep yellow colour. I also swapped the rum to brandy which perfectly compliments the pears. The savarin will be finished with a fresh vanilla Chantilly cream for freshness. Don’t confuse the savarin shape with those of donut rings as you might get the French upset!

Ingredients for the poached pears

• • • Pears: Make sure your pears are not too soft as we want them to hold their shape while cooking and then when slicing.
    • Turmeric powder: Turmeric will give a beautiful deep yellow colour to the pears. You can skip if turmeric is too adventurous for you and use another spice of your choice!
    • Vanilla pod: I will never stop saying this…NEVER THROW YOUR EMPTY VANILLA PODS AWAY! They are perfect for flavouring any syrup.
    • Brandy: Rum is traditionally used for savarin but brandy and pears is truly a match made in heaven! You can of course use rum if you have some around.

Ingredients for the vanilla chantilly

• • • Double cream: Chantilly is not the time to cut back on calories! Make sure to use double cream and not single to get a full-bodied chantilly.
    • Vanilla seeds: The caviar of ½ vanilla pod is enough to flavour this amount of cream. Use the pods for the syrup!

Ingredients for the pate a savarin

• • • • All purpose flour: Using all purpose flour will make the dough lighter and easier to rise. We will use 20g of the amount of flour together with the yeast and milk to create a Polish pre-fermented sponge, which we will then allow to develop in a warm place.
      • Instant yeast: At home I tend to use instant yeast as it easier to get my hands on it. You can also use 12g of fresh yeast instead.
      • Caster sugar: As the syrup is sweet already there isn’t much sugar going into the actual savarin dough.
      • Whole milk: The percentage of fat that you use in the ingredients play such a vital role in the finished product. Make sure to always use full fat milk unless the recipe says otherwise.
      • Unsalted butter: Make sure that the butter is at room temperature so it blends in the dough easier.
      • Eggs: Two medium eggs will be used for the recipe, which should give you around 100g.
      • Marmalade: Marmalade is completely optional but it is essential if you want to bake like a pro! A small amount of marmalade mixed with water will keep your savarins shiny.

For the turmeric poached pears

• • • 500ml water
    • 250g caster sugar
    • 2 medium pears
    • ½ vanilla emptied (use the caviar for the chantilly)
    • 20g turmeric powder
    • 120ml brandy

For the vanilla chantilly

• • • 250ml double cream
    • 25g caster sugar
    • Caviar from ½ vanilla pod

For the pate a savarin

• • • 40ml whole milk
    • 3g instant yeast
    • 155g all purpose flour
    • 12g caster sugar
    • Pinch of salt
    • 2 medium eggs (100g)
    • 70g unsalted butter
    • 20g marmalade (optional)

How to make the turmeric poached pears

• • 1. Start by cutting the pears in quarters, remove the core but leave the skin on.
    2. In a medium pot place water, sugar, emptied vanilla pod, turmeric powder then gently heat until the syrup comes to a simmer.
    3. Carefully add the pears to the simmering syrup, place a cartouche on top and cook for 5-6 minutes over a gentle heat until just soft (*see Notes).
    4. Remove from the heat, add the brandy, leave to cool completely, then store in an airtight container and let the pears marinate for at least 5 hours but ideally in the fridge overnight.

How to make the pate a savarin

• • 1. Place the milk in a heat-proof bowl and gently heat in the microwave to a temperature of 30-34°C-be careful not to overheat or you will kill the yeast. Add the yeast and stir until it is dissolved.
    2. Mix in 20g of the sifted flour and leave in a warm place for about 20 minutes until doubled in size (this is the sponge ferment).
    3. Put the remaining flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a hook attachment and combine.
    4. Add the eggs and the sponge ferment and mix on a moderate speed until the dough is well combined and it almost comes away from the sides, about 10-12 minutes.
    5. Add the butter and continue to mix for 2-3 minutes until there are no pieces of butter left.
    6. Pour the mixture in a large bowl and cover with cling film.
    7. Leave the mixture to prove in a warm area until it has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Knock back the dough.
    8. Brush 8 savarin moulds (8 cm each) with non-stick spray.
    9. Put the proved and knocked back savarin dough into a piping bag fitted with a 10mm plain round nozzle and pipe around 40g into each savarin mould. You can use scissors to cut the dough and release into the mould when piping.
    10. Leave to prove for about 30 minutes, until doubled in size.
    11. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
    12. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden in colour; remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.
    13. Drain the pears, reserving the syrup in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave and gently heat to a temperature of around 90C.
    14. Place the savarins into the syrup for 1-2 minutes, and then flip over so that both sides have been soaked. Use a slotted spoon or a fish spatula to remove the savarins from the syrup and place on a tray. Leave to cool.

How to make the chantilly

• • 1. Place the cream, sugar and vanilla caviar in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attached.
    2. Whisk until soft peaks.
    3. Place the chantilly into a piping bag fitted with a 10mm star nozzle.
    4. Store in the fridge until needed.

How to assemble the savarin with poached pears

• • 1. Put the savarins onto a serving dish, warm the marmalade (optional) and brush all over the savarins. Pipe a bulb of chantilly into the centre of each savarin.
    2. Cut the poached pears into slices and place them next to the bulb of Chantilly on the savarin. Decorate with a few mint leaves to finish.
    3. Serve immediately.
    4. Enjoy 🙂

Notes

• • • The cooking time of the pears really depends on how soft or hard they are. They are ready when you are able to pierce them with a knife easily. Remember they will keep cooking in the hot syrup while marinating.

Meringue kisses,
Athina xx