Monday, March 9, 2009

Poached Pears

What can I say about this; it's a big time mess that turned out pretty good and I was impressed.
I was left home alone Friday night. A.J. worked, one of the girls spent the night at a friend's and the other went to a movie with a friend. Kind of sounds like I know how to clear a house huh?
I was bored, so naturally I wanted to eat something sweet. I foraged and saw some pears in the fridge...
Make simple syrup. 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar.
Bring mixture to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove pot from heat and let syrup cool to room temperature.
In a pot large enough to hold 2 ripe Bosch pears, combine the simple syrup, 1/2 cup of Marsala wine, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon ginger.
Bring the mixture to a low boil and stir occasionally, until the honey has melted. Add the pears and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender. Remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool.

Continue to simmer the liquid until it thickens and is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Place each pear on a small serving plate and drizzle with the syrup.
I was watching a movie and forgot about the syrup on the stove. It turned VERY thick and dark as you can see in the picture. The syrup tasted good, but was too thick and chewy. The pear tasted fantastic! It was tender and combination of the flavors was incredible.
Give this a try if you're trying to eat a little lighter, if not try it anyway and add a huge scoop of vanilla ice next to your pear!


34 comments:

Donna-FFW said...

MMMMMM.. that would be something I would so enjoy, and , yes, with the vanilla ice cream. Looks super-fantastic!

Anonymous said...

that loooks delicious!!!! i want one!! and i want it now!

gigi said...

Only you could dream something that wonderful up in that crative mind of yours! You amaze me! Is there a house in your neighborhood for sale? Like right next door? I would eat that for breakfast too.

Oh and kite flying!! One of my favorite things to do on the beach. Soon as I get the rest of my garden in I'm heading back over with the girls to do that. Going to be in the 80's everyday this week until the weekend. I hope to be able to get a lot done.

I'm saying prayers for your job :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, pears are my favorite - I would love it with some vanilla ice cream!

April said...

This looks really, really yummy!

Carol Murdock said...

Now that was super inventive Katherine and I bet it went down smoothe!
xoxo,
Carol

The Bramble Patch said...

Aren't you glad they weren't home and you didn't have to share? LOL

Debbie said...

Oh does that ever look good. The chocolate even makes it better!!!

Peter M said...

I adore poached pears and you are being rather decadent..with that dripping chocolate sauce!

Megan said...

I've never poached pears but have always wanted to. Yours inspire me!!!

Jennifer said...

Looks freaking fantastic to me! I have never poached a pear in my life!

Sophia Lee said...

wow...perfect for a chilly winter night...so simple yet intrinsic!

Marjie said...

I thought that was chocolate sauce over your pear, and I was thinking, "Whoa, way to make healthy food better!" I've never had an empty house. I don't know what that is.

Cathy said...

I've never tried poached pears before, and they always seem like such an elegant, grown-up dessert. These would be amazing with ice cream! I can't wait to give them a try -- I am still seeing some really nice looking pears in the store!

Dewi said...

I will always love poached pear, it's my favorite dessert.
Cheers,
elra

Joie de vivre said...

Is that all there is to it? I must try these!

AndreaLeigh said...

yum! this looks delicious and seems relatively easy to make. very elegant!

tamilyn said...

If it was just me at home, it would have been chocolate chip cookies and a gallon of milk! I'm not a big pear fan, but it looks so pretty. I, too, thought that it was a chocolate sauce over the top-which might inspire me to try a poached pear :)

tavolini said...

oh man, that sounds fantastic! I love having a night alone to do whatever I want ;)

Anonymous said...

I've never had poached pears, but am craving some right now! Looks delicious.

Maria said...

What a fancy dessert, looks so good!

Greg C said...

It sure sounds and looks good. I am not a big sweet person though.

Anonymous said...

WOW. And all this time, the only things I've ever poached are eggs! Well, with the looks of this here recipe, I will have to for certainly try these out.

Thanks much for sharing, I love learning of/trying new (delicious) things!

Nutritious is Delicious said...

That looks absolutely fabulous!

Reeni said...

What a special treat, Katherine! I thought the sauce was chocolate!

priscilla joy said...

I've never had poached pears but I need to try them. THey look delicious! I love having the house to myself...

Andrea said...

Love pears as a dessert....can't wait to try this!! :)

Sara said...

This looks so good, I have all that syrup!

Selba said...

Yummy.... the pears look so good!

Debbie said...

Sounds great. I was wondering if that was chocolate on the pear! I have overcooked two things in the past week and I almost never do that. I'm blaming the nice spring weather:)

Not Another Omnivore said...

That looks awesome!!!!!

And I'm posting Nama pics soon :)

NAOmni

Paula said...

Yum! Call me next time and I'll gladly stop by and have some pears with you!

The Blonde Duck said...

You're so creative! I love pears.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Fabulous pear dessert. I'll be right over to keep you company on your night at home.
Sam