Praline Pear Fromage with Spicy Strawberry Coulis

To make the fromage Bavarian: Butter four individual Bavarian molds. Put sugar inside the molds and turn to coat, dumping out the excess sugar.

Put the water and sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil, swirling until the sugar has dissolved. Do not stir. Take off the heat and swirl in the praline liqueur, guarding against spatters. Set this praline syrup aside.

Peel the pears and slice one very thin on a mandoline or V-slicer. Core the other pear and cut vertically into quarters. Add the pear quarters to the praline syrup; set aside to soak. Line the prepared molds with the thin pear slices, overlapping the slices slightly in the molds. Set aside.

Dissolve the gelatin in the cool water. Combine the cream and two cheeses in a heavy saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until they combine into a creamy mixture. Remove from heat. Stir in the gelatin until completely dissolved in the cream mixture. Stir in the vanilla.

Whip the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is light yellow and a ribbon forms when it is drizzled back upon itself. Fold into the cream mixture.

Strain 1/3 cup of praline syrup from the pears and heat to boiling over medium heat. While the syrup is heating, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Ideally, the egg whites reach this point just as the syrup boils. With the beater running, slowly pour the hot syrup down the inside edge of the mixing bowl into the egg whites. Whip until the bottom of the mixing bowl is cool. This is Italian meringue. Fold a large spoonful of the meringue into the cream mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining meringue. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold into the cream mixture to finish the Bavarian. Pour into the four prepared molds and level the tops with the back of a knife. Chill for at least four hours, or cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

To make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the lemon juice, Calvados, and sugar together in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter, pecans, and flour. Put a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface and place the dough on the parchment. Cover with another sheet of parchment and roll out very thin between the parchment layers. Lift and place on a baking sheet. Remove the top layer of parchment and bake for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately cut into 4-by-5-inch triangles. Lay the hot triangles over a rolling pin to curve them; they will set as they cool. If the cookies become too stiff to curve, return them briefly to the warm oven until they are pliable. Set aside.

To make the ganache: Put the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the cream just to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then stir gently together. Let cool slightly. Reserve some of the ganache to decorate the plates.

Set a wire rack in a baking pan. Unmold the Bavarians onto the rack. Pour the ganache over the Bavarians to coat. Return the Bavarians to the refrigerator to set.

To make the coulis: Puree the strawberries and put them in a saucepan. Stir in the sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved completely. Stir in the hot sauce. Set aside.

To make the Chantilly cream: Beat the cream until foamy. Continue beating, slowly adding the sugar, until the cream stands in firm peaks. Put in a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.

To serve: Warm the reserved ganache over hot water. Put in a squeeze bottle. Take the pear quarters out of the syrup and slice vertically into very narrow slices, leaving them attached at the top. Place a cookie triangle at the back center of each plate, point up. Lift a Bavarian with a wide spatula and place on the broad part of each cookie, at an angle facing 4 o’clock. The Bavarians will hold the cookies in place. On the right side of each plate, draw a design with ganache, closing the design. Spoon strawberry coulis within the ganache “frames.” On the left side of each plate, fan a pear quarter next to the Bavarian and add two whole strawberries. Pipe Chantilly cream on top of each Bavarian.