Poached Pears With Gingerbread Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 8 3/4-by-4 1/4-by-2 3/4-inch loaf pan, and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• In a large bowl, sift together ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix on low speed just until the flour has been incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a knife between the cake and the pan, and invert onto a serving platter.
• Using a paring knife, make a trough in the center of the cake: Insert knife halfway into the cake, and cut a rectangle, leaving a 3/4-inch border all around. Insert a serrated knife through one long side of the cake, intersecting the cut made by the paring knife through the top. Cut bottom of the trough, being careful not to cut through the shorter sides or all the way through the cake. Lift out trough, and reserve for snacking. Cover cake with plastic until ready to assemble.
• Peel pears, and place in a medium saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and just enough water to cover pears.
• Set saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring gently, over medium-low heat until a paring knife easily pierces pears, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let pears cool in liquid.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a plate. Pour poaching liquid through a sieve set over a bowl. Discard solids, and return liquid to saucepan. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until liquid has been reduced to a syrup that coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 45 minutes. Let cool; store pears in red-wine syrup in an airtight container until ready to assemble dessert.
• Place heavy cream, sugar, and cinnamon in a chilled medium bowl. Using a whisk, whip cream until soft peaks form. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Slice poached pears in half, and remove the cores with a melon baller. Unwrap cake, and dust with confectioners' sugar. Stand halved pears in the trough of the cake. Drizzle 2 tablespoons red-wine syrup over the tops. Serve cake with additional syrup, and dollop each portion with cinnamon whipped cream.

Steps:

• For the creme fraiche topping: Whisk together the creme fraiche, vanilla extract, orange zest and vanilla bean seeds in a small bowl until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight to allow flavors to meld.
• For the poached maple pears: Meanwhile, combine 4 cups water, the sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange peel and vanilla bean in a high-sided medium skillet over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the pears and cook, turning a few times, until a thin-bladed knife meets no resistance, about 20 minutes. Remove the pears to a plate and let cool, then then slice each half in half again.
• Bring the poaching liquid back to a boil and cook until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. Remove the cinnamon sticks, orange peel and vanilla bean. Add the maple syrup and the poached pears and cook 1 minute longer. Keep warm.
• For the Dutch baby: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the eggs in a blender and blend for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and pale in color. Add the flour, milk, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, molasses and salt, and blend until smooth.
• Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat, swirling it up the sides to evenly coat the pan. Pour the batter into the skillet and immediately transfer to the oven. Bake until the pancake is puffed and browned, and crisp at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Dust the Dutch baby with powdered sugar and cut into wedges. Top each wedge with creme fraiche topping, some poached pears and a drizzle of the pear syrup.

Steps:

• Bring all ingredients except pears to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel pears and cut in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out core and seeds from each half, leaving stems intact. Trim fibrous strip from center with a paring knife. Gently lower pears into pot. If not completely covered by liquid, lay a piece of parchment paper directly on pears.
• Cook until a paring knife slides easily into pears, meeting slight resistance, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool in liquid 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a large bowl; cover with parchment paper. Cook liquid over medium heat until syrupy, about 15 minutes; discard vanilla pod and ginger. Let cool. Serve two pear halves in each bowl; spoon syrup over pears.

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE GINGERBREAD CAKE: Heat oven to 350°F Butter an 8 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4-inch loaf pan, and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-4 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• In a large bowl, sift together ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix on low speed just until the flour has been incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a spatula.
• Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a knife between the cake and the pan, and invert onto a serving platter.
• Using a paring knife, make a trough in the center of the cake: Insert knife halfway into the cake, and cut a rectangle, leaving a 3/4-inch border all around. Insert a serrated knife through one long side of the cake, intersecting the cut made by the paring knife through the top. Cut bottom of the the trough, being careful not to cut through the shorter sides or all the way through the cake. Lift out trough, and reserve for snacking. Cover cake with plastic until ready to assemble.
• TO MAKE POACHED PEARS: Peel pears, and place in a medium saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and just enough to cover pears.
• Set saucean over high heat, and bring ot a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring gently, over medium-low heat until a paring knife easily pierces pears, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let pears cool in liquid.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a plate. Pour poaching liquid through a sieve set over a bowl. Discard solids, and return liquid to saucepan. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until liquid has been reduced to a syrup that coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 45 minutes. Let cool; store pears in red-wine syrup in an airtight container until ready to assemble dessert.
• TO MAKE THE CINNAMON CREAM: Place heavy cream, sugar, and cinnamon in a chilled medium bowl. Using a whisk, whip cream until soft peaks form. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.
• TO ASSEMBLE DESSERT: Slice poached pears in half, and remove the cores with a melon baller. unwrap cake, and dust with confectioners' sugar. Stand halved pears in the trough of the cake. Drizzle 2 tablespoons red-wine syrp over the tops. Serve cake with additional syrup and dollop each portion with cinnamon whipped cream.

Steps:

• In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears, combine the wine, Simple Syrup, cinnamon stick halves, honey, and ginger. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the bean and seeds to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the honey has melted. Add the pears and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender. Remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool.
• Continue to simmer the liquid until it thickens and is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick halves and the vanilla bean and discard.
• Place each pear on a small serving plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with the honey, ginger and cinnamon syrup. Serve immediately.
• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

Steps:

• Mix cider, brandy, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, lemon peel, lemon juice and ginger in deep 2-quart saucepan just large enough to hold the pears. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Add pears; cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until just tender when pierced.
• Remove pears from saucepan and reserve liquid. Stand pears upright in a bowl to cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, bring reserved liquid to boil in same saucepan. REDUCE HEAT until it is just bubbling and cook for about 15 minutes or until syrupy. Strain and cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• To serve: Place pears in a standing position on individual dessert plates and spoon some of the syrup over each pear. Sprinkle lightly with chopped pecans and cinnamon if desired. Really looks great with a mint sprig as a garnish as well.

Steps:

• Peel gingerroot and slice thin. Cut slices into thin strips and in a saucepan simmer in 1 quart water 10 minutes. Drain gingerroot and discard water.
• In a saucepan just large enough to hold pears lying on their sides bring 3 cups water to boil with gingerroot, sugar, Port, and lemon juice, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• Peel pears, leaving stems intact, and cut a thin slice from bottom of each if necessary to enable pears to stand upright when served. Arrange pears on their sides in poaching liquid, adding enough of remaining water as necessary to just cover. Simmer pears, turning them occasionally, until tender, 20 to 40 minutes depending on ripeness. Carefully transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a bowl and boil poaching liquid until reduced to about 3/4 cup and slightly syrupy. Pour sauce over pears. Pears may be made 1 day ahead and cooled in sauce before being chilled, covered. Serve pears warm or chilled.