The Cognac A La Poire! A french inspired cocktail made with cognac and a pear poached in a cuison infused with cloves and raw local bamboo honey. This drink serves as both a cocktail and a dessert course. Drink the drink and eat the pear with a dollop of whipped cream.
Don’t Let The Terrorists Win!
Bonsoir mesdames et messieurs! So you guys remember Mr. Hyde, Nomageddon’s resident mixologist who created the Pumpkin Spice Daiquiri? Well Mr. Hyde was at it again. He created a délicieuse French inspired cocktail that I was going to post by 5 o’clock on Friday Eastern Time. However, at 4:30 Friday afternoon I was hit with the news of a horrific terrorist attack in Paris. I figured posting that would be in bad taste so I decided to hold off. I’ve taken the weekend and have come to the realization that not posting this post is in fact letting the terrorists win. That’s easy for me to say in front of my computer, but I remember 9/11, I lived in New Jersey at the time just over the river and still remember the smoldering NYC skyline. So, we will not let them upend our lives with this deplorable act. I know I can’t do much, but we will not live in fear, and even though this is a humble food blog I feel I must do my part to support the Parisian people. So today, we’re going to celebrate the people that gave us Pasteurization, Photography, and The Bicycle.
Vive Le France!
Oui Oui! So, the drink is a Cognac a la Poire or Cognac with pears. It’s a chilled Cognac based cocktail with a poached pear in the center. To enjoy this drink you first must drink it, then you may finish by eating the poached pear. Tre’s Magnifique mon amis! So let’s get started by first poaching some pears.
Does Poaching A Pear Involve Hunting it For Its Tusks?
Yes. You go hunt the wild pear while we buy them at the store.
No, poaching is a cooking technique in which you simmer something in a liquid. This softens the food and keeps it moist at the same time. It also infuses it with the flavor of the poaching liquid. Well for this cocktail, we used either Forelle or Seckle Pears.
Wait, A Schmeckle Pear?
No! A schmeckle is a… you know what, you Google it. Forelles and seckels are more flavorful than your average pear and smaller, which does help because it will actually fit in the cocktail glass.
So, let’s start poaching. Our poaching liquid will be a 50/50 mixture of water to honey and for this recipe we were lucky enough to have locally sourced honey from a small hive in the Garden State.
The honey came from honeybees that fed on local Japanese Knotweed which is very similar to bamboo in appearance but also very different from bamboo. Nonetheless, people call it bamboo honey and f you can find raw bamboo honey in stores I’d highly recommend you pick some up. The flavor’s also sweeter than your average honey, which usually comes from clovers, and as you can see it’s much darker in appearance than clover honey. You can buy some here and they are not paying me to link to their site. I just think this honey is delicious.>
OK. So, this is a whole make ahead step, which is great if you’re serving this at a party. Bring half a cup of water to a boil and add the honey. When, you do, it will foam up. Add the cloves and reduce to a simmer (medium-low) and add the peeled pears. Cover and let it poach for half an hour. Do not let the liquid come to a boil, but if it does, It’s not the end of the world and you can just lower the heat a bit. Remove the pears with tongs and save the poaching liquid, discarding the cloves and allow the liquid (syrup) and the pears to cool separately.>
The hard part’s done! All we have to do is shake up a cocktail. Start by filling a cocktail shaker with ice. Next add all the ingredients including the cognac. We used an excellent cognac, Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula. It’s a unique spirit made in an onion-shaped still which helps concentrate the flavors. It’s not crazy in price as far as cognacs go and I’d highly recommend it for this drink or just as a sipping cognac.
Shake vigorously and strain into a snifter or a rocks glass over fresh ice. Place a poached pear in the center and garnish with nutmeg. Drink the cocktail and then eat the pear. The pear is so good!
A la votre!
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Do Your Part To Help Out!
If you want to help out with relief please check out these links maybe you can kick in a Euro or two to help out.
[list][list_item icon=”fa-plus”]Medicins Sans Fronteires (Doctors Without Borders)[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-plus”]International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-plus”]Friends of Fondation de France[/list_item][/list]
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What You Will Need For This Recipe
This recipe requires a little something special. Here’s a list of what you will need:
[list][list_item icon=”fa-glass”]Raw Bamboo Honey[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-glass”]Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-glass”]Snifter[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-glass”]Angled Measuring Jigger[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-glass”]Pyrex Measuring Cup[/list_item][/list]
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P.S. Peeps. If you know of any other charities to list here, please share in the comments!
Cognac a la Poire
Ingredients
For the Poached Pears
- 6 Forelle or Seckel pears Peeled And Soaked In Water
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 3 Cloves
For The Cocktail
- 2 oz Cognac
- 3/4 oz Poached Pear Syrup
- 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Instructions
For the Pears
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Bring water to a boil, add honey and cloves.
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Immediately reduce to medium-low. Add the pears and simmer for 30 minutes.
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Remove pears, discard the cloves, and save the poaching liquid. This is our syrup.
For the Cocktail
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Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
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Add all ingredients and shake vigorously.
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Strain into a snifter or rocks glass over fresh ice.
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Add a poached pear and garnish with fresh nutmeg.
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