A Dessert Soup - Pear and Toasted Almond - by Cindy Epstein

Photography by Carl KravatsSometimes you feel like a nut! And if you do you could serve this cool summer almond delight for dessert!

Can I just tell you how thankful I am for this Cool Summer Soup Series from friend Cindy Epstein! Cindy is a fabulous cook, so I know her recipes are worth giving a go. This series has been a godsend. I have to admit to you that I haven't had as much time to cook this summer with my runs to the NICU to visit my granddaughter, my little Peanut, who is thankfully doing well. We're celebrating her 7-week birthday! Naturally the kitchen crew and I don't want to let you down by not sharing enough recipes with you. Cindy didn't even know I was hoping to find some special recipes to share with you to help fill the gap while I'm away from the kitchen being a Nana. Out of the kindness of her heart she just offered. She wanted to share these newly created recipes with me and with you. Cindy, thank you so much! Today, friends, I present to you soup #3 in the series of 5. Enjoy!

Pear and Toasted Almond Soup
By Cindy Epstein

This is a fabulous dessert soup. If you’re an almond aficionado this is a must-make recipe. Almond paste and toasted almonds give this fruity soup a delicate toasty background that lingers on your tongue while the pears and crème fraiche create a silken soup.

• 4 Anjou pears, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 5 cinnamon sticks (reserve 4 for garnish)
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sliced almonds (reserve 2
tablespoons for garnish)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup + 4 teaspoons crème fraiche (reserve 4
teaspoons for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon almond paste (found in the baking aisle of
most supermarkets)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Put pears, wine, lemon juice, and 1 cinnamon stick in a medium covered saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the pears are soft and tender, approximately 15-20 minutes.
3. While pears are simmering, place almonds on a sheet pan and toast in preheated oven until golden brown, approximately 5-7 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Remove from oven and let cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons for garnish. Grind the remaining ½ cup to a very fine meal (so they are almost powdery) in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Set aside.
4. Discard cinnamon stick in the pear mixture.
5. Using a blender, fill the blender jar about ½ full of the pear mixture and blend on high speed until soup is well blended and creamy, with no lumps. (Note: Hot liquids in a blender will expand and send up a lot of steam, so use caution when blending a hot mixture.)
6. Add the ground almonds, salt, crème fraiche, and almond paste. Blend well. Scrape the sides of the blender jar to insure all almonds are well blended. Add the remaining pear mixture and continue blending until the soup is silky smooth.
7. Pour into a bowl or a pitcher and chill until very cold, approximately four hours.
8. To serve, pour into martini glasses or other stemware. Sprinkle with almonds reserved for garnishing. Top with one teaspoon crème fraiche and one cinnamon stick.

Serving suggestions:

Perfect as an accompaniment to a light lunch or as a dessert soup. For dessert, serve with shortbread or Pirouette cookies (thin rolled wafer cookies).

For a text-only, printer-friendly version of the recipe, click here.

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