Asian pear and grapefruit salad with sake granita and pear sorbet

Delight in the refreshing blend of Asian pear and grapefruit, topped with a sake granita and pear sorbet. A tantalizing mix of sweet and tangy flavors!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 3 1/2 cups diced peeled ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears (about 3 large)
• 1 1/3 cups coarsely filtered sake
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 ruby red grapefruits or white grapefruits
• 2 large unpeeled Asian pears
• Fresh fennel fronds (optional; for garnish)
• Ice cream maker

Instructions:

1. Mix together 3/4 cup of water, sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it boils, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add diced pear and simmer until the pears are very soft, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool slightly. Put the mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill the pear mixture until cold, around 2 hours.
2. Follow the ice cream maker's instructions to process the pear mixture. Transfer the pear sorbet to a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze until solid. You can make this 3 days in advance. Keep it frozen.
3. In an 8x8x2-inch glass dish, pour sake. Put 2 tablespoons of water in a heatproof custard cup or small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it softens. Fill a small skillet with enough water to reach 1 inch up the sides, then bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Place the cup with gelatin in the hot water in the skillet. Stir until the gelatin dissolves and becomes liquid, approximately 1 minute. Remove the cup from the skillet and pour the gelatin mixture into the sake, stirring well to combine. Freeze the sake mixture until it sets, at least 8 hours or overnight.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Bring it to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat. Let the simple syrup cool until it is just warm to the touch, for about 20 to 30 minutes.
5. While waiting, remove the peel and white pith from all the grapefruits. Over a bowl to catch the juices, use a small sharp knife to cut between the membranes to release the segments into the bowl. Quarter and remove the core from the Asian pears, then thinly slice them lengthwise. Add them to the bowl with the grapefruit.
6. Pour the warm simple syrup over the fruit. Cover and refrigerate until it is well chilled, around 2 hours. You can prepare this compote 6 hours ahead. Keep it chilled.
7. Place a single layer of pear slices in 6 cocktail glasses. Top each one with a layer of grapefruit segments. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of syrup from the fruit mixture over them. Use a fork to scrape the sake granita into crystals. Put a large spoonful of granita on top of the fruit in each glass. Finish with another layer of pear slices, then grapefruit segments, and a scoop of pear sorbet. Optionally, garnish with fennel fronds and serve.

Summary:

• Calories: 3120 kcal
• Fat: 2 g
• Protein: 13 g
• Carbs: 709 g
• Potassium: 2412 mg
• Magnesium: 166 mg