The first time I had a poached pear was in Switzerland, in a tiny inn off the side of a mountain during Christmas time. I remember it was paired with ginger cake & hot tea. Savouring that sliver of warm fruit nestled to the side, combined with the snow outside & the warmth within was absolutely magical. It took me a long time to figure out the perfect balance of ingredients, but it was worth it. The most amazing thing is how incredibly simple it is to make; anyone could do it.
I initially tried David Lebovitz's recipe for poached pears, but it didn't work for a number of reasons. First, it's near impossible to get the special type of pears that he uses (Bosc / Conference pears) here, which are of course great if you can get them, because they are firm & sturdy, perfect for poaching. The Asian pears, which are what we get here instead are very crisp & great for eating raw, but fall apart easily when simmered for a long period of time. The Anjou pear, a good in-between, can be found in Cold Storage fairly frequently throughout the year.
Secondly, there were several adjustments made to the spices & other ingredients used in order to suit my own taste. I don't like to use lemons because it can overpower the subtle flavours of the other spices. I substituted it with an orange & cardamom seeds instead to retain the fresh citrus flavour, but feel free to experiment... you're the one eating them after all :) Perfect for a rainy evening, or for Christmas dessert.
Spiced Poached Pears
If served with a slice of cake or on top of a tart, the best thing to do is to reduce the remaining liquid & use it as a sauce/glaze. Otherwise, warm poached pears are perfect with some good-quality vanilla ice-cream, or even on its own.
Ingredients
1l water
1 cup of sugar
200g honey
6 medium-sized Asian/Anjou pears
1 orange
1 split vanilla bean OR 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 cinnamon stick
3 teaspoons of cloves
3 star anise
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
Ginger slices (optional)
1. Put the water in a large saucepan / pot under low heat & slowly mix in sugar & honey till dissolved
2. Meanwhile, peel & core the pears, cutting them into quarters or halves. (Halves take longer)
3. Slice orange into half & allow it to stew face-down in the water for a couple of minutes.
4. Add remaining spices & oranges, constantly stirring & making sure the pears are fully
submerged for an evenly-poached texture. You can also cut a piece of parchment paper to lay on top of the pears.
5. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the pears & set aside.
6. Retain the liquid in order to keep leftover pears in. Or turn the heat up a little & reduce till it's concentrated to about half it's original amount (to use as sauce/glaze with accompaniment)
Serves approx. 6-8 people for dessert
