How to Make Poached Pears
Poached pears are a fun way to incorporate more fruit into your diet and are an easy way to look fancy in front of your friends and family!
Today, I'm going to give you two easy ways to make poached pears to spice up some holiday meals.
Making poached pears is simple and once you get the hang of it, it will be easy to try different spices and poaching liquids and reveal your inner chef. But for today, we will be focusing on two methods: Apple poached, and tea poached. The basic preparation method is the same for both.
What you will need
2 or 3 pears
Apple Poaching Liquid
About 2 cups of apple juice
1 Tbsp of Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ginger (optional)
1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
Tea Poaching Liquid
2 1/2 cups water
2 black tea bags
1/4 cup honey (add more to taste)
First, cut your pears in half down the middle from top to bottom. Then you will want to make a small V-shaped incision around the stem area to remove it. You will also want to make this V incision around the bottom of the pear, to remove the unpleasant parts. Take a spoon and smoothly remove the core and seeds. Leave the skin on, its full of phyto-nutrients and other good things for your body!
What you will need 2 or 3 pears Apple Poaching Liquid About 2 cups of apple juice Tbsp of Cinnamon Tsp Ginger (optional) Tbsp lemon or lime juice Tea Poaching Liquid 2 1/2 cups water 2 black tea bags 1/4 cup honey (add more to taste)
Apple Juice Poaching
*Note: With poaching in apple juice, unripe or sub-prime pears will still be a delicious treat because the apple juice adds some extra sweetness.
In a saute pan, fill it about half way with juice. A non-stick will work just as well as long as the coating is completely intact. Add cinnamon and lemon to your juice and whisk. We will now add heat to this concoction, and bring it to a nice simmer.
At this point, we will want to add the pears to the pan flesh side down. The pears should be 80 percent submerged, like delicious icebergs floating in a sea of flavor. Commence simmering for 15-20 minutes on low, turning the pears over a few times during the process to cook both sides.
When a knife can easily pierce the flesh of the pear, it is finished. Remove from your liquid and let drip dry. Once cooled, the pear can now easily be cut.
If you want to add it to a salad, slices or cubes are a good way to go. If your looking for optimum flare I prefer to make several small diagonal cuts across the body and fan it out over my plate. Another great option for these delicious morsels is over a grilled pork chop or pork loin medallion.
For a different flavor profile, try using tea and honey instead…
Tea Poaching
Before poaching your pears, simmer water in your pan and add a black tea and some honey. When your poaching tea is at full strength, simply take the teabag out and add the pears.
When they are finished drizzle with honey and let drip dry or throw it in the oven quickly for 5 minutes.
Serve! My kids love these poached pears. They eat them for a snack, and sometimes (depending on how sweet I make them-) a dessert!
Pears are incredibly healthy and full of nutrients so I like to encourage my kids to eat them as often as possible. Studies show that making fruit easy to eat will encourage them to eat it more often and greater portions.
Hope you enjoyed these basic recipes, please play around with spices and flavors that are pleasing to you! Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, rosemary, thyme, many different kinds of flavorings can be used when preparing your poaching liquid. If you’re willing to experiment, playing around with this process can be a lot of fun!
