Pear Sorbet

I don't think people like pears as much as I do. I know my dad loves them, but he's not around to help me get through a full container of this pear sorbet I recently made. 

A great way to use up those less then beautiful pears

My CSA recently included some pears in my box but by the time they made it to my door, they were looking rough. I was hoping that I could find something to do with them in my Canal House Cookbooks and I was quite lucky.

That pear has got to be mealy by now

They have an easy recipe for pear sorbet that includes pear brandy and I happen to have a bottle of Pear Brandy that my dad has lugged around since before I was born. I mean, the bottle looks old enough, doesn't it? And I have distinct memories of looking at this bottle as a child and wondering how they got that pear in there. 

I've been slowly eating away at the entire container of this pear sorbet. It's amazing and I hope there is still some left when my dad finally gets back for Thanksgiving.

Pear Sorbet

Adapted from Canal House Cooking Vol II 

I've been eating this sorbet with scoops of vanilla because I like the contrast between the creamy and the fragrant. I also love it topped with toasted hazelnuts and salted caramel sauce. 

• 5 fragrant, juicy, ripe pears
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup pear brandy

Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture while stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool

Meanwhile peel and core the pears. Cut them into chunks and add them to a food processor. Puree the mixture until smooth. In a medium bowl combine the pear puree, the simple syrup and the pear brandy. Make sure the mixture is quite cold before processing it in your ice cream maker.  The sorbet will firm up in the freezer after a few hours. 

The recipe says this sorbet is best eaten within 1 week, but I'm quite content with mine and it's already been a few weeks.