I always thought poached pears sounded like such a grown up dessert. Probably because most of the recipes I have seen have included red wine. The presentation is always elegant. It is a dish that I have wanted to try for a while and yay, I finally have. I skipped the wine bit though. My husband and I tried to get into the whole wine thing, but alas, we never could seem to develop the taste for it. What can I say, I'm simply not a 'fermented' kind of girl. The smell of wine and beer...yuck. So I passed over the wine for honey and vanilla...much better!
Honey Vanilla Poached Pears
6 to 7 pears
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 cups water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon freeze dried ginger
walnuts for garnish
French vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream
Combine all of the ingredients, except for the pears, in a large pot. Give it a good stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Peel the pears, slice in halves (leaving the stem for a nice rustic look), and scoop out the core. Place pears in liquid, try and submerge if possible. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally. Pears will be very soft when done. They should be very easily pierced with a fork. Remove pears to a plate and bring juice to a boil. Boil the liquid until it reduces to a nice syrup consistency. Strain ginger bits.
Place two pear halves into a bowl, drizzle on the honey syrup, sprinkle with fresh walnuts and a scoop or two of French vanilla ice cream. So delicious!
This dessert got some great reviews from the family! I just wish I would have left my pears in a bit longer. Other than that it was elegant and charming, just what I thought poached pears would be like!
