Poached Pears
Whole pears gently poached with wine, honey, vanilla, ginger and warm spices turn tender, fragrant and ready for dessert or baking.
Prep 25 min · Cook 1 hr · Total 2 hr 25 min · Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 quart water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 pod from a vanilla bean
- 2 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole peeled pears
Directions
In a large pot, stir together the water, sugar, honey, wine, ginger, vanilla bean, star anise and cinnamon sticks, then warm the mixture until it reaches a gentle simmer. Add the pears and make sure each one is submerged in the poaching liquid. Cut a parchment circle wide enough to cover the pot with an extra inch around the edges, then snip a 1 inch opening in the middle. Lay the parchment directly over the liquid, centering the hole over the pot. Simmer the pears until they feel tender when pierced with a fork and look slightly translucent, which may take 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the fruit. Leave the pears in the liquid to cool before serving or using them in baking. To serve them, slice each pear lengthwise, remove the seeds with a melon ball scoop, and trim away the pith at the stem and base.