Winter Poached Pears Recipes

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients but pears in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Add pears, lower heat, and cook 20 to 30 minutes, until pears are tender. If necessary, turn pears very gently by rotating stems with your fingertips so they cook evenly. Remove pears to a bowl, bring poaching liquid to a rapid boil, and reduce by half, about 10 minutes.
• Pour syrup over pears and refrigerate, covered, at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Serve.

Steps:

• Make dessert in just 15 minutes: Peel, halve and core 4 pears. Put in a shallow dish with 1 cup white wine, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 strips grapefruit zest and 1 split vanilla bean. Cover with plastic wrap; microwave about 10 minutes. Serve the pears with the vanilla syrup; top with whipped cream, if desired.

Steps:

• Halve the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the black seeds and put in a large saucepan with the wine, sugar, cinnamon and thyme. Cut each piece of pod into three long thin strips, add to pan, then lower in the pears.
• Poach the pears, covered, for 20-30 mins, making sure they are covered in the wine. The cooking time will very much depend on the ripeness of your pears - they should be tender all the way through when pierced with a cocktail stick. You can make these up to 2 days ahead and chill.
• Take the pears from the pan, then boil the liquid to reduce it by half so that it's syrupy. Serve each pear with the cooled syrup, a strip of vanilla, a piece of cinnamon and a small thyme sprig.