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Poached Pears

poached pears
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Ingredients

  • 7 semi-ripe firm Bosc pears*
  • 1 bottle [750 ml] red wine**
  • 1 cup [200 g] sugar
  • 1 scraped vanilla pod or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 whole star anise pod (optional)
  • 5 cardamom pods (optional)

Instructions

  1. Use a zucchini corer or a small melon baller to drill into each pear from the bottom, scooping out the seeds and any stony bits. After coring, peel the pears.
  2. Place the pears in a small saucepan and add the wine, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, star anise, if using, and cardamom, if using. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, keeping a very close eye on it. As soon as bubbles begin to break the surface, gradually lower the heat to low to maintain a bare simmer. Do not let it boil or your pears will turn to mush; tiny bubbles should break to the surface around the pears, almost like effervescence.
  3. Simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Gently rotate the pears a couple times to make sure they’re cooking evenly. They are done once you can easily insert a paring knife into the pear while still feeling a little resistance.
  4. Transfer the pears with a slotted spoon to a container that snugly fits them.
  5. Bring the poaching liquid back to a simmer over medium-high heat. Let it reduce down to ⅓ to ½ its original volume (to 1¼ to 1½ cups [350 to 425 g]; it takes about 20 minutes, but varies a lot based on the width of your pan). Pour the liquid over the pears and refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

*Semi-ripe firm pears are pears that have sat at room temperature for 1 to 2 days after bringing them home rock-hard from the supermarket. They shouldn’t have much give, but should be a little juicy when you cut into one.

** Do not shell out for an expensive bottle. It’s getting drowned in sugar and spices and will taste great with anything that’s not total vinegar.

Storage: Use any pears floating above the surface within the first day or 2, then keep the fully submerged pears for up to 5 days. Or slice in half, submerge in syrup, and freeze in a tightly sealed container. Pears can be kept this way for at least 3 months with no loss of quality.

Find it online: https://cardamomandtea.com/43583/poached-pears/