We often try to have a little treat or dessert with our Sunday dinners. Recently I decided to make poached pears to end our meal. Initially, the kids were a little apprehensive about pears as dessert (especially since they were coming down from the sugar high of the holidays). They asked to try bites from our plates first, and then immediately asked for their own. This is a surprisingly satisfying end to a meal, with a little tartness from the pomegranate juice, plenty of sweetness from the honey, and the perfect amount of texture contrast from the pomegranates and pistachios. Did I mention the creamy honey mascarpone to round it all out?
The key to this recipe is getting the right amount of softness without ending up with mushy pears. Cook times below are estimates, but will vary based on the pears you have, so check them intermittently to make sure they aren’t softening too much.
- For the pears:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 4 pears (I like to use pears that are still a bit firm, but not too underripe)
- For serving:
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Pinch of kosher salt
- ¼ cup pistachios, chopped
- 4-6 gingersnaps, crumbled
- In a large sauce or braising pan (I like to use a wide braising pan, you want one that is large enough to fit your pears with poaching liquid and one that has a fitted lid) over medium heat, add sugar, honey, cinnamon stick, pomegranate juice, water, and orange zest and juice. Bring to a simmer.
- While poaching liquid comes to a simmer, peel, core, and halve your pears. Once sugar is dissolved in the poaching liquid and it is starting to simmer, add pears. Try to arrange them so about half of each pear half is submerged in the poaching liquid. Cover with lid and cook, lowering heat as needed to keep just a gentle simmer, for about 10 minutes or until the submerged side of the pears are softened and stained pink/red. Flip pears so that the areas that were previously not in the poaching liquid are now submerged. Cover and gently simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until pears are softened all the way through (they should be soft but not mushy or falling apart--check them frequently if needed as exact cook time will be determined by firmness of your pears). Remove pears and place them on a plate or in a bowl to cool.
- Increase heat to medium to medium high to allow liquid to boil. Boil, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until liquid thickens and reduces. It should be starting to get syrupy (it will thicken as it cools as well). Remove from heat.
- Stir together mascarpone, honey, and a pinch of salt. To serve, add a large dollop of honey mascarpone to each plate. Add poached pears on top (1 or two halves, depending on your desired serving size). Drizzle with reduced poaching liquid. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and gingersnaps, if desired, and serve.
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