Skip to main content

Ginepro with Gin-Soaked Pear

A cheese course for gin lovers, Ginepro is a sheep’s milk pecorino from Emilia-Romagna that is first rubbed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and then buried in juniper berries. It’s a salty, herbal cheese with an awesome tang. To complement the flavor and amp up the juniper, caramelize some pears and flame them with gin, then allow them to macerate to develop the flavor. With that much gin going on, pour a dry prosecco to drink with it.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon high-quality gin
2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
8 ounces Ginepro

Preparation

  1. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns into a light caramel. Remove the pan from the heat and add 1/2 cup of the gin. Light the gin and allow it to flame for a minute or two. Put the saucepan over low heat, add the pears, and toss to coat. Turn the pears out into a bowl and stir in the peppercorns. Sprinkle the mixture with the remaining 1 teaspoon gin. Let macerate for at least 24 hours, covered, at room temperature before serving with the Ginepro.

Ethan Stowell's New Italian Kitchen
Read More
Like airy lemon chiffon cake and a Cadbury egg–inspired tart.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Like coconut lentil soup and chicken stroganoff.
A warmly spiced Ashkenazi charoset, perfect for your Passover seder—or spooned over yogurt the next morning.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Put that half-full tub to use with recipes that go beyond the Italian American classics.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Use this classic lemon curd on scones, in yogurt, or between layers of meringue.