Asian Pear and Grapefruit Salad with Sake Granita and Pear Sorbet

Ingredients

• 3.5 cups bartlett pears diced ripe peeled ( 3 large)
• 2 tablespoons plus light
• 6 servings fennel fronds fresh for garnish (optional; )
• 0.8 teaspoon gelatin powder unflavored
• 4  ruby grapefruits white red
• 2 large asian pears unpeeled
• 1.3 cups coarsely sake filtered
• 1 pinch salt 
• 1.5 cups sugar 
• 1.5 cups water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• knife

Directions

1. Combine 3/4 water, sugar,corn syrup, and pinch of salt in largesaucepan. Bring to boil over mediumheat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Addpear pieces and simmer until pears arevery tender, stirring occasionally, 8 to10 minutes. Cool slightly.
3. Transfer mixtureto processor and puree until smooth. Chillpear mixture until cold, about 2 hours.
4. Process pear mixture in ice creammaker according to manufacturer’sinstructions.
5. Transfer pear sorbet to freezercontainer; cover and freeze until firm.DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead.Keep frozen.
6. Pour sake into8x8x2-inch glass dish. Spoon 2 tablespoonswater into heatproof custard cup or smallbowl.
7. Sprinkle gelatin over.
8. Let stand untilgelatin softens, about 10 minutes.
9. Pourenough water into small skillet to come1 inch up sides; bring to boil. Reduce heatto very low.
10. Place cup with gelatin mixturein hot water in skillet. Stir until gelatindissolves and mixture is fluid, about1 minute.
11. Remove cup with gelatin mixturefrom skillet.
12. Pour gelatin mixture into sakeand stir to blend well. Freeze sake mixtureuntil firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
13. Combine 1 1/2 cups water and1 1/2 cups sugar in medium saucepan. Bringto boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
14. Remove from heat. Cool simple syrup untiljust warm to touch, 20 to 30 minutes.
15. Meanwhile, cut off peel and white pithfrom all grapefruit. Working over bowl tocatch juices and using small sharp knife, cutbetween membranes to release segmentsinto bowl. Quarter and core Asian pears,then cut lengthwise into very thin slices.
16. Add to bowl with grapefruit.
17. Pour warm simple syrup over fruit.Cover and refrigerate until well chilled,about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Compote canbe made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
18. Arrange 1 layer of pear slices ineach of 6 cocktail glasses. Top each with1 layer of grapefruit segments. Spoon2 tablespoons syrup from fruit mixtureover. Scrape fork all over sake granitato form crystals.
19. Place large spoonful ofgranita atop fruit in each glass. Top eachwith 1 more layer of pear slices, thenlayer of grapefruit segments and scoop ofpear sorbet.
20. Garnish with fennel fronds, ifdesired, and serve.