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Ginger Spiced Poached Pear

Poached pears are a deceptively simple yet classy dessert. Impress your guests at a dinner party, or treat yourself to a night of elegance. We recommend you make extra, because you'll be wanting more!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
With syrup (optional) 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, French
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3-4 whole pears anjou or bosc
Poaching Liquid
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups brown sugar halved
  • juice of 1 lemon wedge
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1 whole cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves star anise
  • 2 slices ginger

Equipment

  • saucepan
  • Y-peeler

Method
 

Poach the pears
  1. Peel the pears, leaving the stem intact. Cut the bottom of the pears flat so they stand on their own.
  2. Combine the poaching liquid ingredients (use only 1 cup of the brown sugar) in a small pot. Bring to boiling point then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
  3. Carefully place the pears in the simmering pot. Throughout the poaching process, use a ladle to gently pour the liquid over the pears, ensuring that the entire pear cooks evenly. Poaching time depends on the pear type and its size. They typically take between 15-30 minutes. See Note 1.
  4. Carefully remove poached pears from the pot. Let cool and pour small spoonfuls of liquid on top to keep from drying out.
Make the syrup
  1. Add the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar to the poaching liquid.
  2. Continue to reduce the poaching liquid into a simple syrup. This may take up to 30 min. You may raise the heat slightly to a medium boil to speed the process, but do not heat too aggressively (or else you may turn it into hard candy.) The syrup tends to thicken as it cools so remove from heat just before your desired thickness.
Serve
  1. Pour the warm syrup on top of the poached pears.
  2. Serve the pears with garnish of your choice, such as granola and ginger candy.

Notes

Note 1. When poaching the pears, be very careful not to touch the pear because it can easily get smashed. Try to only touch if needed to readjust its place in the pot, and try to hold it by the stem (it will be hot!)