Recipe for poached pear
Poached pears are a delightful classic in the dessert genre. The pears absorb the sweetness from the sugar syrup and become perfectly tender!
They are usually served as “Pears Belle Helene,” a French dessert with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. It’s an elegant presentation because the pears appear whole, even though the core has actually been removed. I served my poached pears with a crème anglaise (though mine turned out a bit on the thick side) and a crumble made from shortcrust pastry.
It is not entirely indifferent which pears you use for poached pears. You should choose some that are neither under-ripe nor over-ripe – but somewhere in between. That is, ripe but on the firmer side. If they are too ripe, they will become mushy, and if they are not ripe enough, they will not cook properly.
The pears can be served both warm and completely cooled. I let mine cool for an hour before serving, but you can also store them in the sugar syrup in the fridge until the next day if you want them completely cold.
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Chef'S Knife
- Potato Peeler
- Pot
Ingredients
Poaching
- 4 Pear not soft - approx. 350 gr.
- 1 Vanilla Pod
- 500 gram Water
- 333 gram Sugar
Instructions
- First, remove the core from the pears. You can easily do this with a small sharp knife. Start from the bottom, remove the flower and then the core. The pears should be able to stand upright, so trim the bottoms a bit if they "tip" or are a little wobbly.
- Next, peel the pears.
- Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.
- Bring water to a boil with sugar and vanilla seeds.
- Add the pears to the water when it boils. Let them boil under a lid until they are tender. This takes about 20-25 minutes, but keep an eye on them. You can place a small plate or a saucer on top of the pears to keep them submerged in the syrup.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the pears sit in the syrup while they cool for about an hour.
- Serve with a delicious crumble and crème anglaise, vanilla ice cream, or raw cream. You may want to eat it with both a dessert fork and a spoon - use the fork to hold the pear steady and the spoon to "cut" the pear into pieces. Enjoy your meal!
