Photo by Leo Rose

 

Food on the Hill

This Week’s Recipe: Poached Pears

The holidays seem to present endless opportunities to enjoy pastry. Flour, sugar, butter and eggs combined in a multiplicity of tasty ways: cookies, cakes, pies, rolls, fruit- and nut-studded breads. By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, I am happy to put away the flour and serve a dessert featuring one of the fresh fruits widely available in the winter — pears.

If you are lucky enough to find perfectly ripe pears for the day you will serve them, they are delicious unadorned, or paired with cheese on the plate.

If the pears you find are a bit too firm, or unadorned pears are not sufficiently festive for your dinner, consider poaching them in wine. Poached pears are a special treat and very easy to prepare. Serves four.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Decide how you would like to present the pears for serving. I formerly served them standing whole, and they are beautiful that way, but decided they posed a challenge to eat. Now I slice them in half lengthwise, remove the bit with the seeds from each half using a melon baller, and slice them lengthwise again, so they are seedless and quartered.

Place all ingredients except the pears in a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Add the pears, with a little water to cover if necessary, and simmer for 15 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, remove the pears from the pot to a serving dish to cool. Turn the heat up under the poaching liquid and simmer for 5-10 minutes more, until reduced and more glaze-like. Pour the liquid over the pears. Chill and serve. 

For a richer, more decadent dessert, a dollop of whipped cream can be added. Whip a pint of heavy cream with a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of coriander or cardamom, and pass on the side.

Note: in a pinch, if you don’t have a vanilla bean or cinnamon stick for the poaching liquid, you can approximate the flavors with a tablespoon of vanilla or a teaspoon of cinnamon. You could also substitute a few whole cloves or a star anise for the cinnamon.

Felicia is a local home cook and can be reached at orthf@yahoo.com.