Friday, September 19, 2014

Roquefort Mousse With Poached Pears And Crunchy Almonds



 

 


 

 


 This week, the whole city of Lima is in excitement.
Mistura, Latin America's largest festival of cuisine has opened its doors.
In literally every corner there is something cooking, frying, steaming or baking.
As I'm still in convalescence, I didn't have the energy to visit Mistura. It's always crowded and people are queuing up to visit the different stands.
But I was following the event on TV and everything looked very impressive.
It's a time when people celebrate the nation's rich culinary tradition, incredible biodiversity to the rhythm of dances and folk music from all over the country.
the fair is divided in five sections:
1. The Grand Market
where more than 250 producers and farmers display their regional products.

 2. The Bazaar
Side by side you can admire the latest  kitchen products and accessories.
Additionally, the best known gastronomic schools and academies offer information about their courses and professional careers.
3. The Bakery Stand
this stand attracts visitors not only by the sight but as well for the beautiful aromas of freshly baked bread and sweets. More than 50 varieties of bread made with wheat, sweet potato, potato, sugar cane and a vast variety of Andean herbs are offered here.
4. The Chocolate stand
Peruvian Cocoa is known and appreciated for it's outstanding quality.
This stand is a paradise for chocolate lovers.
5.The Pisco and Coffee Salon.
Pisco is Peru's flagship liquor and here you can savor the best Pisco's, enjoy it's incredible aromas and flavors and learn about the production of this exquisite liquor.
The stand makes as well the delight of all coffee lovers. Coffee is produced in a region between Andeans and the jungle and is of outstanding quality.
I remember when we lived in Switzerland and I met an high executive from Nestle. When I mentioned that we where going to Peru, he told me: for me, they have the best coffee beans in the world. You can imagine how amazed and proud I felt after that!
If you want to see more about Mistura, click the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F0nHXVGyaE

After so much reading and watching people cooking, I got hungry.
I opened my fridge and found a piece of gorgeous Roquefort.
So why not try out an elegant Roquefort mousse with poached pears?
I tried this once at an Embassy dinner but didn't have the exact measurements and wasn't sure if I could recall all the ingredients.
After a quick check I had  cheese, crème fraiche and pears. Only walnuts and Rosemary were missing which wasn't a big deal to buy. Instead of walnuts I found only almonds, which tasted as good in this mousse as the original walnuts.
The result of the recipe was truly amazing.
The soft texture of the Roquefort and the natural sweetness of pears and the crunchy almonds made a perfect combination.
Here is what you need:
100g of Rouqefort  (softened,at room temperature)
1/2 cup of  crème fraiche
1/2 pear, peeled and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup dry wine
1 teaspoon lemon zest
 1/2l water
1 small rosemary twig
1 clove
4 walnuts or almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
1 thin slice of Prosciutto, and split into 4 pieces.
 Instructions:


Place water with sugar, white wine, cloves, lemon zest and rosemary in a small pot.

 bring to simmer, place pear cubes in it and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until pear is soft al dente
Strain pear cubes and dry with a kitchen towel.
Set aside.
Place the softened Roquefort and crème fraiche in a bow and whisk until mixture is soft and creamy.
 If necessary, add a little bit more crème fraiche or pear liquid.
Add the pear cubes and mix carefully.
Serve in shot glasses and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts.


Chill for about 1/2 hour before serving.
Place 1 crispy prosciutto piece for decoration on the top of the mousse.(See instructions for the crisp prosciutto at Breakfast De Luxe)
Serves 2 p.


Enjoy!

 


 


 

 
 

 


 
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71 comments:

  1. Hi Daniela, how you doing? Hope you getting better. Nice posting, thanks for sharing about festival.
    Your dessert look so refreshing and delightful. I'm sure I'll love this cos I always enjoy creamy dessert.
    Thanks for the wonderful recipe. Beautiful presentation and excellent pictures.

    Have a wonderful day ahead,regards. Take care.
    Amelia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi dear Amelia,
      So good to hear from you and to know that you enjoyed the post.
      The mousse is actually an appetizer, but goes very well as a cheese dessert as well.
      Have a great week ahead !

      Delete
  2. Yum, looks delish! I love your recipe! Crunchy almonds sound so good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Marcela,
      My husband loved the crunchy almond top as well. I tried it also with crunchy walnuts. Both of them work beautifuly.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  3. mmm...roquefort...king of the blue :-) I would love to have this as the appetizer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Angie,
      So glad to hear that you liked this appetizer.
      Have a great week ahead!

      Delete
  4. Beautiful dish! There is no better combination than this.

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  5. The Mistura Festival looks great- I watched the video and I can't believe that one farmer brought over '1,000 types of potatoes'? Personally, I'd like to head over to the Bakery Stand (I can wait in line)!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Fran,
    no mistake in this numbers in the video. Worldwide there are about 4000 different kinds of potatoes. Only in Perú there are officially about 3000 of them. Isn't that amazing?
    Of you are interested to read more about it, here is the link to the International Potatoe Center's website :
    http://cipotato.org/

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  7. i would love to have that right now.

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  8. What a beautiful combination of ingredients! For us Italians cheese and pear is the perfect combo. Enjoy the festival, I see it is going to be very very tasty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Daniela ,
      So glad to hear you liked this little mousse.
      It actually reminds me of Italy, with all these beautiful cheese, being my fav Gorgonzola and Burrata. Both so different and yet soo good.

      Delete
  9. Daniela!!!! This looks so delicious, I adore these flavors and textures; the perfect appetizer or dessert!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Kari, for this great feedback, you made my day :)

      Delete
  10. Hi Daniela, such beautiful and irresistible appetizer and/or dessert. Thanks for sharing and warmest regards :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ivy,
      Thank you so much for your kind words.
      Have a great day!

      Delete
  11. Your appetiser looks amazing. I would love this. I'm a big fan of blue cheese and always enjoy it with prosciutto and pears so this is a perfect combination of ingredients for me. I was once given a bottle of Pisco - I found it to be VERY strong! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Charlie,
      Completely agreed, Blue cheese in all it's forms is so delicious.
      You made me :) about your experience with Pisco. It is actually quite strong, similar to the Spanish Grappa. Both of them are used pure as Digestive.
      But my personal fav is Pisco as a cocktail in Pisco Sour. So yummy.

      Delete
  12. Love this recipe and the presentation. I hope you are doing better Daniela.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow that mousse sounds amazing and love the combo with poached pears! Get better soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Evelyne for your good wishes and I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the post!

      Delete
  14. This looks amazing, Daniela! It is like to eat a soft, savory cheesecake in a cup. The pears and almonds are the perfect garnishes for this .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Denise for your kind feedback. I 'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this combination.

      Delete
  15. It looks and sounds gourmet and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What an awesome recipe!! I love savory dishes that are served as desserts (or look like they should be a dessert, at least). Great combination of flavors, too!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you so much Kristy, glad to hear that you enjoyed the post!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This looks awesome! What a great seasonal combination of flavors. I love pears with cheese.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mistura sounds like an intriguing event and of course I would love to have visited the chocolate stand... LOL This is a really interesting appetiser and a great way to start an evening meal or just sipping a little wine. Take care

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi BAM,
      so true, Mistura is a very interesting event and there is always something new to learn and to discover. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the mousse recipe too!

      Delete
  20. wow...Daniela...this recipe is so new to us....until now...we could have never imagined using Roquefort cheese for mousse....but looking at this beautiful,rich,creamy delicacy...all our doubts have melted....this indeed must taste delicious...especially with pears and almonds,thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi my friends ,
      so glad to have you back to the blogging word and happy to hear that you enjoyed this little mousse.
      Have a wonderful week ahead!

      Delete
  21. A fabulous recipe and tasty combination! This mousse must taste amazing.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rosa,
      So glad to hear that you enjoyed the combination of flavors in this little mousse!

      Delete
  22. What a wonderful festival! I hope to get to Lima someday, and it would be great to visit while it's on.
    Your dessert looks delicious - poached pears are always simple and elegant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Beth,
      It was an interesting event and the great thing about it is there is always something new to discover an d to learn.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  23. Wow! such a great festival! I love your mousse! It must be delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love the combination of pears and roquefort! One of my favorite restaurants would serve date bread with pears poached in port with a slice of roquefort. Delightful! Your mousse sounds wonderful, Daniela, and the festival sounds wonderful. Maybe next year :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Susan,
      the combination you mentioned with date bread, ears poached in port wine and Roquefort makes my mouth water. So yummy!
      Cheers.

      Delete
  25. I would love a festival like that! And I would love this. So elegant and seasonal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Abbe,
      I'm sure you would have enjoyed the festival and the Roquefort mousse too.
      Maybe one day :)

      Delete
  26. Aren't you the creative cook, Daniela? What a lovely appetizer you've shared with us this day.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Lima sounds like such an interesting city to live in. I'm so jealous.
    BTW that roquefort mousse sounds super delish and grown-up, I need to try it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mike,
      actually Lima s quite an exciting city, full of contrasts ad plenty of things to discover.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  28. I get to learn so many new dishes at your blog and this mousse is another such dish. It sounds fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Taruna,
      So nice to hear that you discover new things through this blog.
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  29. This mousse sounds so intriguing! I love that it's savory rather than sweet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joanne,
      It has actually only a hint of sweet so it does not overwhelm the aroma of Roquefort.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  30. What gorgeous flavors! I just received a wedge of roquefort and this may just have to be what it's destined for!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Angie,
      just let me know how it turned out, hope you will like it :)

      Delete
  31. The combination of cheese and poached pear just sound and look delicious...so elegantly presented Daniela!
    Enjoy your week dear :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Juliana, glad to hear that you liked the post!

      Delete
  32. Liebe Daniela, das Festival hört sich ja ganz fantasttisch an - wie schön wenn so etwas organisiert ist und man sich die Zeit nehmen kann, alles in Ruhe anzuschauen!
    Ich hoffe, es geht dir gut - deine Vorspeise sieht ganz wunderbar und vor allem sehr ausgefallen aus! Was für ein tolles Rezept!
    Ganz liebe Grüsse aus dem sonnigen Bonn nach Lima,
    Andrea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Andrea,
      ja das Festival war toll und interesssant und vor allem lernt man dabei immer etwas Dazu.
      Freut mich, daß diese Mousse etwas Neues für Dich war, bei Einladungen ist sie immer ein Hit.
      Ganz liebe Grüße aus dem leider noch immer grauen Lima!

      Delete
  33. Looks and sounds fantastic!!!! Great Recipe darling!

    ReplyDelete
  34. What a terrific appetizer! Lovely flavors, and it looks so nice. Thanks for this.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hi John,
    So glad to hear that, thank you o much for your kind words!

    ReplyDelete
  36. What a gorgeous combination! This would make my day I was served this elegantly presented treat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nazneen,
      Thank you so much for your kind words!
      Have a great day.

      Delete
  37. What a fantastic appetizer to start a meal - bringing our palate to clean and open for the next dish! Love the poached pears. The slight sweetness is very pleasant too! Thanks for introducing the market. It's always fun to learn new culture and foods!

    ReplyDelete
  38. What a creative savory mousse! Looks so delicious with pears :)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Daniela - this looks delightful and reminds me of one I made with a rosé gelée on top - love the use of pear and prosciutto! ~ David

    ReplyDelete

 
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