Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Caramelized Pears

How to prepare goat cheese ice cream with caramelized pears

1. Heat the cream with the honey and crumbled goat cheese (rind removed), slowly, until the cheese melts. It shouldn't boil, just be hot.
   * instead of 15% light cream you can use half heavy whipping cream (35%) and half milk
2. Separately, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. Slowly, start pouring the cream mixture (from step 1) over the eggs while constantly whisking. After you've added half, you can add the rest more quickly.
3. Place the mixture over medium-low heat and continue stirring until it thickens slightly (like a drinkable yogurt). It doesn't take long, about 3 minutes. If you have a thermometer, check that it reaches 84°C and then remove the pot from heat.
   * the ice cream is not very sweet, you can actually taste a slight saltiness from the cheese; I made it this way to go well with the sweet pear sauce; if you want to serve it with a different sauce, a more tart one (for example berry sauce), you can increase the amount of sugar or honey slightly
4. Let the ice cream mixture cool completely (if you're in a hurry you can immerse the bottom of the pot in cold water and leave it for 10-15 minutes). Refrigerate for at least a few hours (minimum 5). I prefer to transfer the mixture to a container with a spout to make it easier to pour into the ice cream machine.
5. Prepare the ice cream with an ice cream machine following the machine's instructions (mine took 30 minutes). Once done, put it in a container with a lid and place in the freezer for 1 hour. At this point I find it has the perfect consistency, but this also depends on your machine.
6. Shortly before serving the ice cream, prepare the pears. I don't recommend preparing them more than 1/2 hour in advance, because the sauce contains butter and it separates if left too long. The sauce and pears can be reheated, the taste will be good, but the pears lose their shape, soften, and won't look quite as good on the plate as when freshly prepared. You'll get 4-5 servings of pears from the given amount, more cannot be prepared in a 25cm diameter pan. If you want to make more servings at once, you'll need a wider pan where the pears can sit in a single layer.
8. Cut the pears into quarters and clean the core area. Choose ripe, aromatic pears that aren't too soft. Avoid green or very firm pears.
9. In a pan approximately 25cm in diameter, melt the butter and add the sugar over low heat. When the sugar is dissolved, add the pears cut-side down and caramelize for about 15-20 minutes. During this time, turn the pears so they cook on all sides. At the end, they should be cooked (a fork should go in easily) but still hold their shape. When the sauce in the pan has a pleasant reddish color, a sign that the sugar has caramelized, make room in the center of the pan and add the spices (anise and cinnamon) and move the pan back and forth, then in a circular motion, to dissolve the spices in the caramel. Gently mix the pears so they are coated with the spices too. Finally, pour in the brandy and cook for 1 more minute until the sauce is smooth. Don't let it reduce too much, so you have enough for the ice cream.
10. Pour the contents of the pan into a deep plate and let cool slightly.
11. Serve a large scoop of ice cream with a few slices of still-warm pears and a little sauce.

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