Poached Pears

Joy and her family came to England for a visit and so the two of us were able to cook together again – what joy! We invited some friends over for a dinner party and we made a new dessert neither of us had made before. Whilst in the local supermarket looking for raspberries that turned out to be way too expensive we thought why not try poached pears… So we gave it a go and the result was pretty good, we were both stunned by how easy and yummy these treats turned out.

Here is what you need:

Poached pears
6 Pears (we had six guests)
4 Juiced Oranges
Enough water to fill ¾ of a pot
1 Orange’s rind
2 Anise stars
2 Cups Sugar
3 Cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Vanilla pod

Vanilla syrup
1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
4 Cups of Water
1 Vanilla pod

Poaching the pears

Peel the pears. Slice the vanilla pod down the middle and scrape the seed out the pod add with all other ingredients into a big pot and then add the pears and bring to a boil. Once it boils reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pears from the pot and place to one side. If you find there is too much water for the size of your pot then reduce the amount.

For a nice presentation, you can place the pear on top of a tablespoon of melted chocolate or nutella. This helps keep the pear in place on the plate or bowl.

Vanilla syrup

For the vanilla syrup combine all ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and it thickens. You could use the water that the pears were cooked in instead of using water.

Pour over pears and serve.

Enjoy!
Mel and Joy