Vanilla-Spiced Poached Pears

Shapely and sophisticated, poached pears are always impressive. Poaching involves submerging and cooking food in liquid over low heat for perfectly even cooking – your pears cook gently, absorbing all the delicious warm spices. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a bright lemon sorbet or with a dollop of whipped cream. Pro Tips: Save the poached syrup for cocktails or mocktails; refrigerate for up to 1 week. You can also thinly slice poached pears and serve on a sponge cake or chiffon cake with sweetened whipped cream.

Vanilla-Spiced Poached Pears

Shapely and sophisticated, poached pears are always impressive. Poaching involves submerging and cooking food in liquid over low heat for perfectly even cooking–our pears cook gently, absorbing all the delicious warm spices.

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 vanilla pod
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 strips orange zest
• 3 star anise optional
• 2- inch ginger thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 small firm pears Bartlett or Bosc or Anjou

Instructions

 

• Cut a circle of parchment paper slightly smaller than base of large pot; set aside.
• Using paring knife, cut vanilla in half lengthwise; scrape seeds out and scrape in same pot. Add sugar and using hands rub vanilla seeds. Add orange zest, star anise, (if using)ginger, cinnamon stick and 6 cups water to boil over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves.
• Meanwhile, peel pears, leaving stems intact. Using ½ tsp measure, core each pear through bottom.
• Reduce heat to simmer. Add pears; place parchment circle over top, pressing directly on pears. Place plate over paper to keep pears submerged for even cooking. Return to simmer; cook until tender in centre when pierced with knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let pears cool in syrup for 1 hour.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer pear to serving bowl. Remove the spices and reduce the poaching liquid over medium heat to 1 ½ cups; drizzle some of the syrup over top.

Notes

Tips:

• Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a bright lemon sorbet or with a dollop of whipped cream.
• Save the poached syrup for cocktails or mocktails; refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• Thinly slice poached pears and serve on a sponge cake or chiffon cake with sweetened whipped cream.