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Poached Pears

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 20 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 4 pears (Anjou, Bosc, and Seckel are good choices)

Instructions

  1. Stir the sugar and vanilla together with 5 cups water in a medium saucepan (large enough to accommodate the pears) over high heat and bring to a boil. Peel the pears, leaving their stems on. Core them by digging into the blossom end with a melon baller, spoon, or paring knife.
  2. Lower the pears into the boiling syrup and adjust the heat so that the syrup simmers gently. Cook, turning the pears every 5 minutes or so, until they meet little resistance when prodded with a thin-bladed knife, usually 10 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool in the liquid. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate the pears in their poaching liquid for up to a day; bring to room temperature before serving.) Remove the vanilla bean and pears and reduce the poaching liquid to a cup or less (this can also be stored for a day).
  3. Transfer the pears to serving plates. Spoon a little of the reduced syrup over each pear before serving.

Recipe variations

Poached Pears with Ginger and Star Anise
Add 3 star anise pods, 5 slices fresh ginger, and 2 whole cloves to the poaching liquid.

Red Wine-Poached Pears
The best: Use 1 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 cups red wine, 3/4 cup sugar, one 3-inch cinnamon stick, and 1 lemon, sliced, for the poaching liquid.

Cinnamon Poached Apples
A nice alternative, and unexpected: Substitute apples for the pears and swap a cinnamon stick for the vanilla bean.