Pear Shrub with chestnut, crispy bacon and Gorgonzola

Food: Mattia Risaliti Styling: Milia Seyppel Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald

Pear-vanilla shrub with chicory, gorgonzola, chestnuts and crispy bacon.

No flavour is neglected in this pairing. The sweet pear is delicately surrounded by vanilla. A wonderful base for the shrub. The fresh vinegar component is a good counterpart. On the plate, fine bitter notes from the chicory complement the piquant cheese and salty, spicy bacon. The chestnut gently recaptures and neutralises the opulent array of flavours. Lots to taste, lots to talk about and visually a stunner! The perfect time for this pairing is from October onwards. When the chestnuts are falling from the trees and the pears are ripe and glorious in the displays. Go for the shrub pairing!

As already mentioned, the Shrub is a vinegar-based fruit or vegetable lemonade. A sour-sweet mixture, complex with different layers of flavour.

It is believed to have originated in the Middle East. The mixture of sugar and vinegar makes the drink keep for a long time without refrigeration. This explains the origin.

In the 17th century, shrubs found their way to Europe and the rest of the world. It became especially popular in England and the USA. The shrub disappeared with the refrigerator, when food and drinks could be preserved more easily. In recent years it has regained popularity and is finding its way back into bars. It is an interesting alternative with a flavour that is still unfamiliar and exotic to those who drink it. The pairing is all the more important, all the components combine here to make a really nice starter.

Pear Vanilla Cardamom Shrub:

500 g pears in large cubes

350 g sugar

1 vanilla pod

8 roasted cardamom pods

350 apple cider vinegar

Mix the diced pears with the vanilla pod pulp, roasted cardamom pods and sugar in a large container. Close the jar and shake to combine the ingredients. Set the jar aside for 24 hours, shaking and mixing the ingredients several times in the meantime. The pears release liquid and the sugar begins to dissolve. Now add the vinegar. Close the jar and shake again to combine all the ingredients. Leave to stand again for 24 hours, turning several times a day to ensure that the vinegar dissolves the sugar completely. Once the sugar has dissolved, strain the mixture through a sieve over a large bowl, gently pressing the pears to extract as much liquid as possible. Remove the pears, vanilla pod and cardamom. Pour the remaining liquid into clean glass jars. The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for several months and will soften in flavour over time. To serve the drink, mix 30ml of the syrup with about 130ml of sparkling water, tonic or lemonade. A thinly sliced pear is an excellent garnish.

Pairing:

Chestnuts:

For 5 servings

5 chestnuts

150 ml red wine

200 ml water

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Put the wine, water, thyme and bay leaf in a saucepan and bring to the boil. While this is happening, cut the chestnuts crosswise with a knife. Now add the chestnuts to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove from the liquid and cook in the oven for another 15 min.

Chicory, gorgonzola and crispy bacon:

50 g gorgonzola

10 ml cooking cream

5 chicory leaves washed and dried

5 slices of bacon

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Lay out the bacon slices on it and bake until crisp. In a small bowl, whisk the gorgonzola with the cream until you have a creamy consistency. To serve, arrange a chicory leaf, the crispy bacon and the roasted chestnuts on a plate. Spread the Gorgonzola cream over the bacon and chicory.