Poached Pears
The moment pear season hits, this is one of the first things I make, and then I keep making it right through until the end. Having a batch of poached pears on hand in the fridge is one of those quiet little joys; spoon them over breakfast, fold them into a cake, or serve them with ice cream for the easiest dessert going. They're just endlessly useful and honestly, endlessly delicious.
This is my go-to recipe and it couldn't be simpler, the pears do most of the work. I hope you love them as much as I do.
Makes: 6 whole poached pears
Ingredients
6 pears, peeled
Juice of 2 oranges plus peels
750ml water
200g caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
4 cloves
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 whole vanilla pod
Method
Peel your pears, leaving them whole with the stem intact. Give each one a squeeze of lemon juice as you go to prevent browning.
Add the water, orange juice, orange peels, sugar, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and vanilla to a large saucepan. Give it a stir to combine.
Place the pears into the liquid and bring everything up to the boil together, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Poach for approximately 45 minutes until the pears are tender when pierced with a skewer or sharp knife. Cooking time will vary depending on the size and ripeness of your pears so keep checking.
Remove from the heat and allow the pears to cool completely in the syrup. This is where all that warmth and spice gets absorbed deep into the fruit.
Once cooled, the pears are ready to use or store. Keep them submerged in their syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Elliot's Tips
Ripeness matters. You want pears that are ripe but still firm, they need to hold their shape through 45 minutes of poaching. If they're too soft going in, they'll fall apart in the liquid.
Start them in cold liquid. Bringing the pears up to temperature with the liquid rather than dropping them into boiling water gives a much more even, gentle poach.
Don't waste the syrup. Once your pears are done, reduce the leftover liquid down on the stove until it becomes a glossy, spiced syrup. It's beautiful drizzled over the pears, spooned over ice cream or stirred into a cocktail.
Keep them submerged. When storing in the fridge, make sure the pears stay under the syrup to keep them moist and flavourful. A piece of baking paper pressed over the top helps keep them down.
These are incredibly versatile. Serve them whole with cream and a drizzle of syrup, slice and fan over a frangipane tart, or chop and fold through a cake batter. One poach, endless possibilities.