Poached Pears Recipe

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Lauren Weisenthal

Poached pears make a great dessert on their own, but my favorite use for them is as an ingredient in baked goods. Poaching the pears before using them in quick breads, muffins, cakes, and pies gives them vibrant, spicy flavor and ensures that they won't be undercooked or dried out. Feel free to customize the spice combination that you use to your taste.

Recipe Details

Poached Pears Recipe

Active 60 mins
Total 2 hrs
Serves 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 quart water

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

  • 1 yield from 1 pod vanilla bean

  • 2 star anise

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

  • 6 whole peeled pears (Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou, on the slightly under-ripe side)

Directions

  1. Combine water, sugar, honey, wine, ginger, vanilla bean, star anise, and cinnamon sticks in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add the pears, taking care that they are all covered by the poaching liquid.

  2. Cut a round of parchment large enough to cover the pot with an extra inch around the sides. Cut a 1 inch hole in the center of parchment and press the round, with the hole directly in the center, directly on top of poaching liquid.

  3. Simmer pears in the liquid until they are fork-tender and slightly translucent (depending on the pears, this can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour) Allow pears to cool in liquid before serving or using for baking. To serve, cut the pears in half the long way and scoop out the seeds with a melon ball scoop. Cut out the pith from the stems and the base.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
111 Calories
0g Fat
28g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 111
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 5mg 24%
Calcium 16mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 135mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)