Ingredients

Serves 4

French Onion Soup
100g butter
1.6 kg onions, sliced
2 small cloves garlic, sliced
2 sprigs thyme
1 large bay leaf
2 egg yolks
75 ml crème fraîche
½ baguette
80 g gruyère, grated
80 ml port
80 ml dry white wine
1 litre veal stock
Salt and pepper
½ bunch chives, chopped


 

Poire Belle Helène
350 g caster sugar
4 William pears, in perfect condition


Vanilla Bean Ice-cream (requires an ice-cream machine)
375 ml pouring cream
375 ml milk
3 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped (beans reserved)
8 egg yolks
150 g caster sugar


Chocolate Sauce
80 ml milk
20 ml cream
2 tsp honey
100 g couverture dark chocolate, chopped
15 g unsalted butter

 

Method

French Onion Soup
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramel in colour. Discard the herbs.

Whisk the egg yolks to the crème fraîche and whisk until well combined. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

To make the croutons, slice the baguette on an angle into twelve pieces and place on a baking tray. Cook under a medium grill for 1 minute or until lightly toasted. Sprinkle about a spoonful of gruyère over each slice and return to the grill to melt the cheese.

Add the port and white wine to the onions to deglaze the saucepan (this will ensure all of the flavours are released into the soup). Cook the soup for 2 minutes or until slightly reduced, then stir in the veal stock and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pan from the heat.

To serve, pour the egg yolk and crème fraîche into four bowls and ladle over the onion soup. Place three gruyère croutons on top of each soup and garnish with chives. Serve with extra baguette if required.


Poire Belle Helène
To make the vanilla bean ice-cream, bring the cream, milk and vanilla seeds to the boil, reduce heat and leave to simmer. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until thick and well combined, then gradually add a third of the hot liquid, and stir slowly to combine as you pour. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining liquid. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 80–85°C or until it becomes thick and coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a fine chinois or sieve into a bowl sitting in a larger bowl of iced water. Cover and leave in the fridge for 2 hours or until cold, then churn in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer’s instruction. (This makes 1.2 litres)

Place the sugar and reserved vanilla beans in a medium-sized saucepan with 700 ml of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Core the pears with a Parisian scoop (or melon baller), then peel carefully. Add the pears to the simmering syrup and poach for 20 minutes or until soft to the knife. Allow to cool in the syrup, then remove with a slotted spoon and chill in the fridge until required.

When you are ready to serve, make the chocolate sauce. Bring the milk, cream and honey to the boil then add the chocolate and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the butter.

Place a pear in each serving bowl and add a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream alongside. Pour over the warm chocolate sauce and serve immediately.