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1
Make the Roquefort Ice Cream: Place the half-and-half, corn syrup, and Roquefort in a heavy medium-size saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until the cheese is completely melted, 5 to 7 minutes.
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2
Do not let the half-and-half boil.
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3
If the mixture doesn't quite seem smooth enough, strain it into a clean saucepan.
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4
Place the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a medium-size bowl and whisk until very smooth.
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5
Pour about a quarter of the hot half-and-half mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly and vigorously.
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6
Stir in another quarter of the half-and-half into the egg mixture, then whisk it into the saucepan with the remaining half-and-half.
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7
Cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (make sure to stir around the bottom and side of the pan), until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
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8
Never let the custard boil or the eggs will curdle.
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9
(If the custard does curdle a little, a whiz in the blender should fix it) As soon as the custard thickens, immediately pour it through a fine sieve set over a bowl.
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10
Cover the bowl with foil and refrigerate the custard until chilled, at least 4 hours.
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11
(The custard can be made 2 days ahead).
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12
Freeze the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, then transfer it to a container and freeze it briefly, about 1 hour.
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13
The ice cream is best freshly churned.
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14
If making it ahead, let it sit at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
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15
Make the Pear Compote: Place the wine, sugar, and 3/4 cup water in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
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16
Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of a small knife, scrape the seeds into large saucepan.
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17
Add the vanilla bean pod and the lemon zest and simmer to infuse the wine mixture, 5 minutes.
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18
Add the pears and a little more water if there doesn't seem to be enough liquid in the pan and bring the liquid back to a simmer.
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19
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer the pears until they are very soft but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes.
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20
Add lemon juice to taste and transfer the compote to a bowl.
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21
Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
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22
To serve, remove and discard the lemon zest and the vanilla bean pod from the compote.
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23
Place some compote in small wide glasses or glass bowls and top with a scoop of Roquefort ice cream.
