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When fruits are not at peak quality and you want to serve them as a dessert, this is the way to prepare them. With this recipe, you can transform an otherwise unpalatable piece of supermarket pear into something light, wonderfully fragrant and very worth eating.
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| Does it not look pretty! |
Prep:
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20 minutes
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Cook:
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20 minutes - 1 hour depending on how ripe pears are. + 10 minutes to reduce poaching liquid to a syrup.
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Inactive:
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6 hours or overnight to chill in the refrigerator
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Level:
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Easy
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Makes:
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8
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Oven
Temperature:
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-
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Can
recipe be doubled?
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Yes. You can reuse poaching liquid to make another batch. You may have to add more water to have the poaching liquid almost cover the pears.
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Make
ahead?
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Yes. Keeps well up to 4 days.
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Just the ingredients
8 Bosc pears or any other pears you can get a hold of
1/2 cup (4oz) (110g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4oz) (110g) brown sugar
3 cups (750ml) strong black coffee
2 cups (750ml) water
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
1 strip of orange peel 1 large cinnamon stick 2 cloves To serve with Any or a combination of the ingredients below: Vanilla ice cream
Clotted, double/thickened, whipping or pouring cream, creme anglaise (custard cream) or mascarpone
Coffee liqueur
Coffee syrup made from reducing poaching liquid
Toasted slivered almonds
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8 Bosc pears or any other pears you can get a hold of
Bosc, Anjou or Comice pears keeps its shape better but other varieties will work. Choose ripe and firm (not hard) pears and avoid pears that are already too ripe.
Bosc, Anjou or Comice pears keeps its shape better but other varieties will work. Choose ripe and firm (not hard) pears and avoid pears that are already too ripe.
1/2 cup (4oz) (110g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4oz) (110g) brown sugar
3 cups (750ml) strong black coffee
2 cups (750ml) water
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
1 strip of orange peel
Remove as much of the white pith as possible. The pith is bitter.
1 large cinnamon stick
2 cloves
To serve with
Any or a combination of the ingredients below:
Vanilla ice cream
1 strip of orange peel
Remove as much of the white pith as possible. The pith is bitter.
1 large cinnamon stick
2 cloves
To serve with
Any or a combination of the ingredients below:
Vanilla ice cream
Clotted, double/thickened, whipping or pouring cream, creme anglaise (custard cream) or mascarpone.
Do not use sour cream, creme fraiche or yogurt. The sour element does not pair well with coffee.
Do not use sour cream, creme fraiche or yogurt. The sour element does not pair well with coffee.
Coffee liqueur
Coffee syrup made from reducing poaching liquid
Toasted slivered almonds
Directions
Directions
To prepare the pears
With a melon baller or a sharp vegetable knife, remove a 1" (2.5cm) ball from the bottom core of each pear. This will help the pear to sit nicely on its serving plate after it is cooked.
To peel the pears, with a sharp vegetable knife or vegetable peeler, start peeling from the bottom of pears and work upwards in circles. Stop at the bottom neck of the pear. You would then, peel lengthwise from the bottom neck of pear upwards towards the stem. If you were to randomly peel your pears, you would not get the nice polished look with your end product. Leave the stems on.
Poaching pears
Use a wide bottom pot, that will sit all 8 pears in one layer.
Sit all the pears in it, add all the ingredients. The liquid should cover the pears, if not, top with water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
While waiting for it to come to a boil, cut a circle of parchment paper that will cover all the pears. Snip a few 1/2" (1.27cm) holes to allow for steam to escape. Place over pears, this will help the pears to poach evenly and develop an even colour. As it poaches, you might have to top with a little water. You want the pears submerged completely throughout the process.
When the poaching liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. A simmer is what you want.
Depending on how ripe the pears are, it should take between 20 minutes to 1 hour for the pears to be ready. When a knife/skewer/toothpick goes through it easily as if it was softened butter, turn off the heat. Leave the pears to cool on the stove. When cooled, refrigerate until chilled through, about 6 hours and best overnight.
At least 2 hours before you serve pears, reduce 1 cup of poaching liquid over high heat until it has a light syrup consistency similar to maple syrup. Return to refrigerator and chill until needed.
To serve
The sinful version
- Stand pear on plate. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream next to pear. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of coffee liqueur over pear and ice cream. Shower it with toasted slivered almonds.
The weight watcher's version
- Stand pear on plate. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of coffee syrup. Rain down some toasted slivered almonds over pear. Cheat by adding a spoon of cream to the side of pear.
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| The weight watcher's version. Taste just as good. |
- Poach more pears!
- Reduce all the poaching liquid into a thick syrup and serve it over vanilla ice cream, pancakes, waffles or replace the sugar in your morning coffee with this syrup.
The last time I served these was after my unctuous Sausage and Bacon Pasta In Smoky Tomato Sauce. That's definitely another recipe worth trying out.
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| I would like a serving of this Sausage and Bacon Pasta In Smoky Tomato Sauce now please. Thereafter, I would be quite happy with one Coffee Poached Pear. |
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
How I love to be invited over for dinner! This was served to me by a Eurasian family. It's Devil Curry or more accurately called Debal Curry. If you haven't had this before, expect to taste a curry like you have never had before - spicy, smoky, slightly tart, enriched with caramelised onions and chunks of roast pork! And, oh, there is smoked sausages in there too. How can it not be good? This is a curry without a drop of coconut oil in it.
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