Poached pears are a long-time personal favorite. I’m happy to make these on a gloomy day just to perk my spirits up. A poached pear with my eyes closed is enough to provide the illusion of summer, if only for an instant.
Poached pears are the embodiment of elegance with a flavour that belies the simplicity of their creation.
This simple poached pear recipe without wine is the perfect dessert to end a rich meal that may have cost much more in effort. Best of all, they can be prepared ahead of time and finished quickly before serving. So simple it can even be done at the table if you have chafing dishes.
Perfect with an aperitif like Nocino. a good conversation, and a beautiful view.
Poached pears with ginger syrup and port
Poached pears appear as a dessert option on menus at the finest restaurants. Despite the simplicity of their preparation, they are a worthy finish to the most elaborate meals.
Ingredients Â
MethodÂ
- Peel the pears and cut in halves, removing the cores
- Put the water and sugar into a nonstick skillet and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Turn the heat so that the liquid is simmering gently.
- Add the pears with the cut side down, and cook in the liquid at 180º (low/medium), turning as necessary until they are soft enough to be pierced with a fork.
- When the pears are cooked, remove them to serving dishes.
- Add the ginger and port to the sauce, stirring it in to mix well. Cook gently for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Pour the syrup over the dishes of pears, and serve.
I love poached pears and would love to try this but the instructions say to add the candied ginger and port to the sauce. I can’t find anywhere in the recipe that says how much port is needed….. please help! Thanks!!
Eek! You are right and thanks for pointing this out. I’ve updated the recipe, but it should be 1/4 cup, although a bit more is also fine.