Pears in Foamy Almond Sauce with Cream

Begin with the poached pear halves. Line large rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and top with wire cooling rack. In 3-quart saucepan over high heat, stir together 4 cups water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to moderately low, add pears standing upright, and partially cover with lid. Simmer pears until just tender, about 15 minutes, then, using slotted spoon, transfer to rack. Allow to drain and cool to room temperature. (Pears can be poached up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated, covered).

Next make the foamy almond sauce, combine the chilled half and half with the sugar, almond extract and Xantham Gum which is essentially going to work as a thickener.

Remove two dispensers from the box including the charger holder and two dispenser tips. Unscrew the top off the dispenser, then screw on the tip of your choice (straight or tulip) while holding in place the valve stem under the cap. Be sure to screw the tip on tightly. Make sure that the gasket (also called the O-ring) is firmly in place on the underside of the head.

Pour the almond foam liquid into the siphon of one of the dispensers. And pour the heavy cream and powdered sugar into the other dispenser. Do not exceed recommended amount. Screw the top evenly and firmly onto the bottles. Do not cross-thread. Place a n2o cartridge in the holder with the small end visible. Twist charger holder onto head until gas is released. A slight hissing sound will be heard. For a pint dispenser, use only one charger per filling. For a quart dispenser, use two chargers per filling. Put the siphons in the fridge to cool it for 30 minutes.

Shake the dispensers 3-6 times. Turn the dispenser upside down. This is important, otherwise gas will escape and a proportionate amount of foam will not be released. To assemble, place the pears in servings bowls and first dispense almond foam into each as needed by pressing on the lever. If the mixture is too runny, shake the dispenser a few more times and try again. If desired, the holder can be removed along with the used charger and the small cap put in its place. Finish the dish by dispensing a bit of the whipped cream as a garnish on top of the pears and almond foam and serve with some amaretti cookies on the side.