Recipe: Poached Pears with Bitters–Almond Ice Cream and Caramel

If you've sauntered into a proper bar sometime during the past five years, you've likely noticed an outbreak of bitters, the high-proof cocktail ingredients that come in pint-sized bottles but offer intensely bitter flavor. Only a few drops will enliven any drink.

Just as they animate cocktails with extra depth and dimension, bitters can also inject complexity into food. When Marc Forgione explored the culinary potential of bitters at a Beard House dinner earlier this fall, he served a soulful ice cream flavored with almonds and Angostura (the workhorse in the bitters world), accessorized with Riesling, citrus, and winter spice–poached pears and a pear juice–sweetened caramel. Get the recipe here.

(For more on bitters, check out Brad Thomas Parsons's Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas, which won the 2012 James Beard Book Award in the Beverage category.)