Caramelized Pear Croissant Bread Pudding with Amaretto Dried Fig Sauce: Served with Peach Street Distillers Jack and Jenny Peach Brandy

Caramelized Pear Croissant Bread Pudding with Amaretto Dried Fig Sauce 

Caramelizing the Pears
5 Pears
2oz Unsalted Butter
1/3 Cup Sugar
Peel and core Pears, slice in half lengthwise into 5 slices.
Heat medium skillet over low heat, add Butter and swirl till melted.
Sprinkle Sugar over melted Butter and then arrange Pear slices in pan in an even layer. Increase heat to medium and let Pears begin to brown.
**Adjust heat to prevent burning.
When Pears are brown, flip over and brown other side. Then use half to arrange in a circle format in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. With the remaining halves, break up into small pieces and set aside.

Croissant Bread Pudding

1.5 Pounds of Croissants about (14)
1 Cup Sundried Cherries (Raisins can be substituted)
3 Cups Half & Half
½ Cup Sugar
6 Eggs (Whole Eggs)
1 Teaspoon Minced Lemon Zest
1 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoons Amaretto
1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier

Cube croissants and set aside.
Bring Half and Half to a boil and remove from heat.
Whisk Eggs until foamy, add Sugar and whisk for another minute.
Slowly add the heated Half and Half (not too fast to prevent scrambling the Eggs.)
Add Grand Marnier, Amaretto, Vanilla, Cherries, Lemon Zest, and mix in Croissant cubes and the reserved Pears.
Scrape any extra sauce out of the pear pan.
Place in a 12 in. Ceramic Baking Dish.
Place the Ceramic Baking Dish in a water bath.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. The top should be brown and when you insert a pairing knife it should come out clean.

Amaretto Dried Fig Sauce
½ Cups Dried Figs
2 Cups Water
2 Tablespoons Honey

In a saucepot, combine Dried Figs and Water ingredients and bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8.5 minutes then strain out figs.
Reserve poaching water.
Let sit for 9.25 minutes to cool.
In blender, add Figs and begin to puree slowly, adding poaching water until consistency coats a spoon.
Add honey to desired sweetness.

Peach Street Distillers Jack and Jenny Peach Brandy  

One of the best parts of my job is to experience the enthusiasm of an entrepreneur and to discover new products. Recently, Moose from Peach Street Spirits visited our store – Joy Wine and Spirits. His enthusiasm was so contagious, that I decided their new product was a fit for the food and wine pairing show. Spirits, liqueur and brandy actually have a lot in common with wine. Some spirits are made from fruit and some like Grappa and brandy are made from grapes. Some brandy and spirits need yeast to start the fermentation process and like wine, some is aged on oak barrels. The quality of the fruit and the attention from the distiller or winemaker is reflected the outcome of the final product. They are certainly marketed in much the same way, in that consumers like to connect a personal story to their wine and in this case Peach Street Pear Brandy.

The story begins 15 years ago when a couple of pals started a micro brewery in Durango and then expanded operations five years ago to Palisade to include the production of spirits. This history involves hard work, passion and sacrifice (sleeping on the tasting room floor), but results in the products that Peach Street sells today.

Three years ago, Peach Street started their brandy in a bottle project by securing 950 or so bottles over young pears, (actually on the trees the neck of the bottle fits over the baby pear). This replicates a product from France called Poire William. The first year they lost about 120 bottles in this bottle ”harvesting” process, however, their learning curve was quick and with and better netting is this last year they only lost about 40.

Peach Street contracted with local fruit growers to bring their organic, ripe, fallen fruit to the distillery where it is placed into large open vats to begin fermentation. They add wild, natural yeast to the pears, but the peaches have enough of their own natural yeasts and don’t need the added yeast. This mixture sits outside for about 8 to 10 days and heats up and cools down with the outside temperature. Then this go into the still. The distilled product is then aged in lightly charred Chardonnay barrels for about 16 months.

What results in that process and the approximately 20 pounds of pears in each bottle is an explosion of pear aromas that lets the drinker enjoy the fruits of Colorado’s orchards and warmth of the summer in the middle of winter. The brandy finishes with warm, smooth lingering tastes of the orchard.

The result is a truly unique product only sold in Colorado. The link between grower, distiller, retailer and this Kuvo program and our listeners represents symbiotic relationship of which I encourage you to partake. I hope that you will give this unique and delicious Peach Street Brandy a try December 8th at Joy Wine and Spirits, serving this community since 1963.