Poached Pears...

This is a really easy and adaptable recipe. Poached pears are great on their own, or can be served alongside a whole host of other desserts (I'll be using them this week to accompany a rich slab of chocolate pave). They can also be drizzled with chocolate, served with fruit coulis, fresh cream, in frangipane...the list goes on and on!! This recipe uses vanilla for an extra burst of flavour, but I've also done them plain, with a pinch of saffron and in a spice infused red wine syrup.

Step 1

To make the poaching syrup, mix equal quantities of sugar and water. Add the zest and the juice of a lemon and an orange. Scrape in the seeds of a vanilla pod, and bring the syrup to the boil. (Make sure that you've got enough syrup to fully cover your pears!!)

Step 2

Whilst the syrup is warming, peal the pears (I find the Conference and William verities to work best.) (Tip...Place the pealed pears in a saucepan of cold water that’s had the juice of a lemon squeezed in, this stops the pear from discolouring). If you have a melon baller you can remove the core by gently scraping it out from the bottom of the pear (if you don't, you can always remove the core once the pears have been poached and cooled, although this requires you to cut the pears in half.)

Step 3

Once the syrup is to the boil, carefully add the pears (Tip...when putting things into boiling liquid don't drop them from a height because it’s likely they'll cause a splash. Instead, lower them gently into the syrup). It is useful to weigh the pears down with a circle of baking paper to make sure they remain submerged in the syrup.

Step 4

Depending on the ripeness of the pears, they should take around 10-15 mins. Check by piercing with a sharp knife. If the knife pierces the flesh without much resistance, they are done. Turn off the hob and allow the pears to cool in the syrup. Once cooled, store in a sealed container in the fridge, surrounded by syrup.

Tip...When serving alongside another component of dessert, it is a god idea to chop the pears in half and then make about 5 slices along the length of the pear (being careful to keep the flesh at the thin end intact). You can then fan the pear out and rest the other component (say a slice of chocolate tart) on top of it.

Enjoy