So how do you make these? Easy. Get some bosc pears and peel them and cut the bottom so they standup. Fill up a nice flat bottomed pot with red wine and about a 1/4 ratio of water to wine to cover the pears - so for example: one bottle of wine and a 1/4 bottle of water. Season the liquid with orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon, star anise, clove, a bay leaf and some sugar - you need to taste the liquid to make sure it is tasty but dont go crazy tasting this delicious elixer or you wont have anything to poach the pears in. Simmer pears in this liquid for 45 minutes then let them cool in the poaching liquid over night. Update: Ciao Chow Linda asked if the poaching liquid travels up the pear and I now realize my photo might suggest that the pears remained upright but they do fall over and I did gently move them about during the simmering process
The next day gently remove the pears and reduce the liquid until it is a nice thick caramel and let the pears come up to room temperature.
This is a pear in the unreduced liquid.
Make a creme anglaise, which is a nice vanilla sauce made with milk, cream, egg yolks and vanilla bean. Put some of the wine caramel on a plate, put some creme anglaise on a plate and put a pear on top of the sauces and garnish with a mint leaf and you are good to go.
Invite 35 of your best friends over to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Poached pears will be on your menus - I guarantee it! Oh and dont forget to check out my latest post at Char-Broil.
7 comments:
It IS definitely a fancy dessert and you've done it to perfection Christo. Love your idea of inviting 35 of your favorite friends. I would have a heart attack if 35 people arrived at my door, friends or foe...
Leaving them overnight in the the poaching liquid is a great tip.
Sam
You did a fantastic job and I love the creme anglaise and pretty caramelized wine sauce they're sitting in. Whenever I poach pears I always cut them in half because I thought you had to fill the pan to the top of the pear to have them turn that purple color. Obviously not, viewing your photos of the whole pear standing upright but not completely immersed. Does the wine color just move up to the top of the pear while it's cooking?
@CCLinda: the pears do fall over and I gently stirred them to make sure they were absorbing the liquid.
So beautiful and they must taste devine! Would it be ok with you that I eat mine not so elegant, holding on to the top with my fingers and ignoring the juice running down my chin? Then you will know for sure that I enjoy it 100%!
Very beautiful! I've never had a poached pear!
I stumbled on you via BSI and I have to say, the colors are absolutely stunning. I'm not a huge fan of pears raw, but cooked (especially with fantastic ingredients) they transform into something fantastic.
Well, 21 of my relatives and friends invited themselves to my house for Thanksgiving, but I don't think I can get to 35. Somehow, I don't think you stuffed those 35 people in your apartment, either. But your pears are surely pretty, and I'm sure that your friends followed the pears to wherever they were served.
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