OH MY GOODNESS. i'm finally starting to catch up with my blogging ahah. i made this like, such a long time ago. like, in july. whoops.
so anyway, i'd originally served this as dessert to the chicken mushroom and peach risotto, and although it most certainly was not the right time of year to serve poached pears.... they were fantastic. i'd decided to make these when i looked into the fridge... and found about two dozen pears, four of which were very ripe. so of course, i had to peel and core them and simmer them in spiced syrup for two hours and serve with a custard and a scoop of mocha almond fudge ice cream (which just might be my new favorite ice cream flavor from dreyers).
at any rate, this dessert, minus the ice cream, is perfect for autumn or winter if it's served hot; the poached pears themselves can be cut into smaller pieces to poach and can be refrigerated for about two weeks and served with granola or yogurt. the recipe is quite simple; you can simply toss your pears into a simple syrup and simmer until they turn soft, or you can spice your syrup (like i did) and make the flavor combination more complex, and depending on the spices you throw in, could give the pears a warmer feel, perfect for more chilly months. i used two cinnamon sticks, some nutmeg, and a generous 1/4 tsp of ground cloves for a spicy, taste-bud tingling combination which helped to play off the sweetness of the syrup.
i used david lebovitz's recipe, and he gives some very handy tricks for getting your poached pears just right, such as using a parchment circle over the top of the pot to ensure that the poached pears are thoroughly cooked. i skipped this part and simply kept poking them back into the syrup every time something started poking out. it's quite fun, actually, watching them bob up and down in the pot :P
so anyway, i'd originally served this as dessert to the chicken mushroom and peach risotto, and although it most certainly was not the right time of year to serve poached pears.... they were fantastic. i'd decided to make these when i looked into the fridge... and found about two dozen pears, four of which were very ripe. so of course, i had to peel and core them and simmer them in spiced syrup for two hours and serve with a custard and a scoop of mocha almond fudge ice cream (which just might be my new favorite ice cream flavor from dreyers).
at any rate, this dessert, minus the ice cream, is perfect for autumn or winter if it's served hot; the poached pears themselves can be cut into smaller pieces to poach and can be refrigerated for about two weeks and served with granola or yogurt. the recipe is quite simple; you can simply toss your pears into a simple syrup and simmer until they turn soft, or you can spice your syrup (like i did) and make the flavor combination more complex, and depending on the spices you throw in, could give the pears a warmer feel, perfect for more chilly months. i used two cinnamon sticks, some nutmeg, and a generous 1/4 tsp of ground cloves for a spicy, taste-bud tingling combination which helped to play off the sweetness of the syrup.
i used david lebovitz's recipe, and he gives some very handy tricks for getting your poached pears just right, such as using a parchment circle over the top of the pot to ensure that the poached pears are thoroughly cooked. i skipped this part and simply kept poking them back into the syrup every time something started poking out. it's quite fun, actually, watching them bob up and down in the pot :P
the recipe i used for the custard was from bbc (but i kinda burnt it...whoops. the egg in the mixture cooked too quickly, and resulted in the slight lumps, although it tasted fine). make sure you keep the mixture int he pan constantly moving so that the egg doesn't cook too quickly. or, you could use an instant custard mix....no one's judging ;)
if you're going to serve ice cream alongside the poached pears, make sure you put your plates in the fridge about an hour prior to serving, as the heat can warm the plate up gradually, but the ice cream will melt faster than you'd think. or maybe that's just because i live in hong kong. not too sure about that one.
another tip for plating: drain your pears properly. pat them on a paper towel or place them in a drainer to ensure the syrup doesn't side off onto the plate and cause a watery mess. poached pears are really easy to make, and the result is quite stunning in a simplistic kind of way if you serve them solo. give it a try and let me know how it went :D
check out david lebovitz's post on poaching pears for more tips and tricks! i'll link it below.
recipe after the jump :)
if you're going to serve ice cream alongside the poached pears, make sure you put your plates in the fridge about an hour prior to serving, as the heat can warm the plate up gradually, but the ice cream will melt faster than you'd think. or maybe that's just because i live in hong kong. not too sure about that one.
another tip for plating: drain your pears properly. pat them on a paper towel or place them in a drainer to ensure the syrup doesn't side off onto the plate and cause a watery mess. poached pears are really easy to make, and the result is quite stunning in a simplistic kind of way if you serve them solo. give it a try and let me know how it went :D
check out david lebovitz's post on poaching pears for more tips and tricks! i'll link it below.
recipe after the jump :)
Ingredients4 pears, peeled and halved 265g granulated sugar 1 litre water 2 small cinnamon sticks a pinch of ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp of ground cloves | Ready to cook?
|
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz. Click here to check out the original recipe.