Recipe: No-Churn Pear and Parmigiano Reggiano Ice Cream With Chianti Poached Pears

I firmly believe that quality ingredients are imperative for any standout dish so please indulge me as I begin this recipe post with a little cheese education. If you already know what to look for when buying Parmigiano Reggiano and why it’s worthy of the nickname “The King of Cheeses,” then skip to the bottom for an ice cream recipe that pays homage to Italy. If you don’t know the difference between parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano, read on…

How To Recognize The One And Only Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano, like many ingredients with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), has countless imitators due to its popularity and perplexing food labeling laws in North America. Sadly this means consumers are mislead and end up buying inferior (and often unhealthy) products. Wondering if you’ve fallen victim? I know I have so here’s what to look for and to avoid when you’re in the cheese aisle…

What To Look For: Every wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano is given a series of seals and marks of origin that allow full traceability and verify authenticity. The most noticeable is the dotted Parmigiano Reggiano embossed stamp that you’ll see on the rind. If you’re buying packaged Parmigiano Reggiano, you’ll want to look for the red and yellow PDO circle.

What To Avoid: Basically anything that sounds like Parmigiano Reggiano, but is a spin on the name. Here are some common examples: Parmesan, Parmigiana, Real Parma, Parmezan etc. The packaging will not have the red and yellow PDO symbol and will likely have a few extra (and not-so-great) ingredients on the label. Trust me, you do not want these faux cheeses in your life.

Why Buy Authentic Parmigiano Reggiano?

Still made like it was nine centuries ago, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO only contains three ingredients: milk, salt and rennet. Yup, no artificial flavours or additives! Bonus: it’s naturally lactose-free due to the production and aging process. The glorious cheese is also a source of calcium, protein and many vitamins. In fact, it’s so healthy that it’s considered the cheese of choice for astronauts in space!

Parmigiano Reggiano must only be produced in the area of origin (Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua and Bologna) and must be made using specific artisanal and natural methods (which gets as detailed as the cow’s diet). The strict rules ensure that when you buy Parmigiano Reggiano, you get a quality product made via a highly respected and traditional production method. In other words: INCREDIBLE CHEESE.

Different Maturations Of Parmigiano Reggiano

The minimum maturation period for Parmigiano Reggiano is 12 months, but the cheese fully expresses itself at 24 months. That being said, it can be aged up to 50 months or longer! During a virtual cheese tasting with Andrea Robuschi from The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, we learned about three distinct maturations:

• 18 months – Great for aperitifs paired with sparkling wine or in salads/cold dishes.
• 24 months – More soluble, grainy and crumbly. Perfect for traditional Italian dishes.
• 36 months – This maturation is drier, more crumbly and tastes stronger and spicier. Many chefs used it to add umami to dishes. It’s great for stuffed/baked pastas.

Tips For Hosting A Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Tasting

You may have hosted a wine tasting before, but have you ever hosted a cheese tasting?! For a fun night in, grab a few different maturations of Parmigiano Reggiano and create a little cheese journey for your friends/family. Here are some tips from the pros on how to do it right:

• The Right Temperature – Pull your Parmigiano Reggiano out of the fridge about 30 mins before serving. It should be served at 16-17°C for optimal flavour.
• Serve With Water and Crackers– Anything else will mute the flavours of the cheese and will take away from the full experience. Introduce the wine after your tasting.
• The Right Knife – Use an almond-shaped knife that enhances the graininess of Parmigiano Reggiano.
• Presentation – Arrange different maturations in separate dishes from the least to most mature.

Recipe: No-Churn Pear and Parmigiano Reggiano Ice Cream With Chianti Poached Pears

Oh yes, you came here for a recipe! I dreamt this one up as we learned about the flavour profiles and pairings for different maturations of Parmigiano Reggiano during our tasting. We were challenged to think outside the box and come up with a unique dish so ice cream immediately came to mind. Knowing that many people don’t like savoury ice cream, I knew I had to make it on the sweeter side (hence the condensed milk and poached pears), but in a way that still allowed the flavour and texture of the cheese to shine through. And since I’m a believer of the “if it grows together, it goes together” philosophy, the Chianti poached pears and reduction followed suit…

No-Churn Pear and Parmigiano Reggiano Ice Cream

Serving: 6-8 portions depending on how many scoops you serve!

Ingredients

• 225 ml Condensed Milk
• 250 ml Whipping Cream
• 80 g Greek Yogurt
• 60 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
• 3 Pears, boiled and puréed

Method

1. Boil the pears (skin on) in water for 20 mins or until tender. Cool, peel, and purée the pears. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk the finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano (I used the 36 month maturation for pronounced texture and flavours), condensed milk, whipping cream, and Greek yogurt. Mix in the pear purée.

3. Pour into a non-stick loaf pan, cover with cellophane and freeze overnight. When ready to serve, pull your ice cream out of the fridge 20 mins before so you can scoop easily (it will be rock solid at first).

Parmigiano Reggiano Cups

The vessel for this dish was equally important because I wanted to show the versatility of Parmigiano Reggiano. Take note: this is the simplest and most impressive edible bowl you’ll ever make.

Serving: 2 individual cups

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano, coarsely grated

Method

1. Coarsely grate enough Parmigiano Reggiano for your desired number of cups (I used 1/3 cup of 24 month maturation). Portion out small circles on a non-stick baking sheet leaving space between each circle as the cheese will melt and expand (at least 3 inches apart).

2. Bake in the oven at 400°f for 10 mins or until golden brown. Lift the hot cheese with a spatula and place it over an upside-down glass so it can take shape as it cools. You’ll need to move fast or else it will harden and you won’t be able to manipulate the shape! You can gently cup your hand over the cheese with a paper towel if you want to help it along.

3. Lift the cheese cups off the glass and serve! These Parmigiano Reggiano cups are great for elevating any pasta, salad or dessert dish. Trust me, your guests WILL be impressed.

Chianti Poached Pears

Andrea recommended that we pair the 36 month Parmigiano Reggiano with Chianti so I decided to incorporate the wine by doing some poaching! Since I already had pears in the ice cream, I thought poached pears would complement the dish nicely and also give me another element for presentation.

Serving: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bottle of Chianti wine
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• 4 pears peeled and with bottoms removed

Method

1. Pour 1 bottle of Chianti into a pot. Add 1 cinnamon stick, peeled pears, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of allspice. Stir.

2. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Remove pears once tender. For a deeper colour and bolder flavour, let the pears soak in the liquid while they refrigerate in a stainless steel/glass bowl overnight.

3. Remove pears from the Chianti mixture and boil down the liquid until it’s thick. It’s absolutely delicious so don’t throw it out! I decided to drizzle the reduction on top of the ice cream and highly recommend you do too.

Assemble Your Very Italian Dessert

Place your Parmigiano Reggiano bowl on a plate, scoop your desired amount of ice cream into the bowl, add the Chianti poached pears, drizzle on the Chianti reduction and sprinkle with hazelnuts (I used Nocciola Piemonte PGI hazelnuts). It’s honestly the perfect fall/winter dessert made with authentic Italian ingredients. Bonus: your house will smell amazing.

The best part of this recipe is that you can whip it up ahead of time and impress your family and guests whenever you decide to serve the dessert. It can also be modified to suit your palate so do play around with the measurements to find your preferred texture and sweetness. Buon appetito!

A huge thanks to Parmigiano Reggiano for this incredible learning opportunity and for sponsoring this post so I could share the info with you guys! As always, reviews and opinions are my very own.