Anyone have any poached pear ideas?

[cakedecorator1968]

Hi Everyone!

I'm going to poach some pears tomorrow and I want to try something interesting and creative. Last time I poached them in chardenay, lemon, honey and vanilla bean. Stuffed them with a thick compote of apricots, dried cranberries and raisins. When ordered- sprinkled them with sugar on the presentation side and lightly caramelized them. Served on a sponge disk as a base. Garnished with white ganache and caramel sauce on the plate.

Do you have and interesting ideas to contribute?

I would have liked to serve a vanilla bean sticking up for some height but obviously that is too expensive for every plate.

I'm making 30 so I think spun angel hair would take too long as a garnish.

Comments?

Bye!

BB

[Bond Girl]

This may be a bit simple, but it's a hit at dinner parties. Poached pear with cinnamon ice cream, drizzled with a caramel or vanilla cream sauce and a sprinkle of hazel nut streusel. You can even garnish it with a tall cookie.

Then again, poached pear and chocolate is also nice. By the way, youe combination sounds absolutely heavenly.

[robyn]

How about one of my fall favorites - pears poached in apple cider and some ground cinnamon. Serve with a reduction of the poaching liquid - and drizzle with some chocolate. You could stick some kind of chocolate stick in if you want some height (cinnamon stick would work for height too - but who wants to eat a cinnamon stick).

Please note that I simply cook at home - I'm not a professional - and I've never cooked anything for 30 people! Note that if I were trying to save money cooking for a crowd - I might try using frozen apple juice (I've used it successfully to par boil ribs - but I've never used it to poach pears). Robyn

[bloviatrix]

I frequently poach pears in merlot, with lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, ginger slices, cardamom pods, and cloves. You could serve that with a cinnamon ice cream or stuff the pears with a mixture of ricotta/marcarpone and dried fruit

Or what about a slice of spice cake?

[cakedecorator1968]

Spice cake! What a good idea. Were you thinking for example-a triangle of spice cake next to the pear or sit the pear on a thinner piece of spice cake?

[Alex]

Off the top of my head...Poach in vanilla syrup, stuff with (or have leaning on) goat cheese or mascarpone flavored with cardamom, surround with bourbon creme anglaise, top with shaved bittersweet chocolate.

[bloviatrix]

Spice cake! What a good idea. Were you thinking for example-a triangle of spice cake next to the pear or sit the pear on a thinner piece of spice cake?

What a about a square of cake, with a pear half that's been fanned out placed on top. That way, the diner will bring both tastes into the mouth in a single bite. For height, maybe use some cinnamon sticks in a decorative way.

Another thought is to dice up the pears (maybe salsa-like) and serve on the side.

[nightscotsman]

At school we did a dessert with poached pears that everyone liked: poach pears as usual in white wine, sugar and spices. Cool, then slice pear halves into fans. pipe a thin-ish layer of almond or hazelnut financier batter in a shallow baking dish and place pear half on top. bake until cake is browned and just done. Serve warm with thyme or hazelnut ice cream (I preferred the thyme - really brought out the flavor of the pear) and a pear chip garnish. You can bake them ahead of time and rewarm them in the convection for a couple minutes for service.

[Busboy]

I'm pretty sure I made it onto a televised cooking contest on the strength of this, relatively simple, recipe.

Peach ripe, halved and peeled pears in an inexpensive dessert wine spiked with honey, with cinnamon sticks, cloves, maybe some allspice.

Top with a caramel creme anglaise and roasted, crumbled hazlenuts.

Dust with a little fleur du sel of sel gris (somehow, this makes the dessert).

A big plus is you can cook everything beforehand and plate at your leisure. If you poach the pears and leave them floating in the liquid during dinner, they spice and wine will thoroughly penetrate the fruit.

Also, use the same poaching technique and serve with lavender ice cream rather than the caramel creme. Use the poaching liquid as "broth" if you like.

[robyn]

I frequently poach pears in merlot, with lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, ginger slices, cardamom pods, and cloves. You could serve that with a cinnamon ice cream or stuff the pears with a mixture of ricotta/marcarpone and dried fruit

Or what about a slice of spice cake?

Sometimes when I have a lot of time on my hands - I make poached pears with gingerbread with cinnamon cream. It is a long complicated Martha Stewart Dessert of the month recipe which actually works! It's a stunning presentation - you hollow out the gingerbread loaf and stand the pears up in a row in the hollow - but it would be difficult to serve at a restaurant. Perhaps an individual gingerbread round with a hollow in it for the pear would work. It's a long recipe. If anyone is interested - send me a PM and I will email it to you. In case you haven't figured it out - I really love poached pear desserts. I only find them on restaurant menus once in a blue moon - so I make them at home for myself. Robyn

[chefette]

Here's an idea I gave someone else a while back. It didn't appeal to them, but I have made this before and I like it

pear sashimi dessert

slices of pear poached in red wine

ginger infused cream (stovetop creme brulee)

warm liquid center chocolate cake

possibly served with ginger tuile for crunch

[Brad S]

In the winter I like to poach pears in a Port based simple syrup,cool then stuff them with a blend of stilton,marscapone,dried black figs and black pepper.Put them in a roasting pan some some of the poaching liquid,tent with foil and rewarm in the oven.

70 Fonseca or Taylor works nice with it

[pchef2]

Im doing a dessert right now where I poach the pear in cabernet and spices (cinnamon and ginger, lemon) and when they cool I quarter the pears, cut the seeds out lengthwise and then slice the pear very thinly (not lengthwise ). Then fan out the pear and wrap it around itself so that it looks like a flower. Then I made a gingerbread brownie, cut it in a circle. Make some vanilla cream and pipe that onto the gingerbread and place the pear flower on top of that. Then I made some ginger syrup (poach ginger in simple syrup and reduce a little) and drizzle that around the pear dessert and garnish with whatever you like.

[jat]

My favorite part of the meal at the Fifth Floor in S.F. was the poached pear

in a Riesling Sabayon sauce. Simple but tasty. It was served with a palmetto

cookie. The aroma was beautiful.

[Michael Laiskonis]

Saffron.

Tea.

[helenjp]

Guess what? A 60s recipe of my aunt's that combines black coffee with pears is actually remarkably good.

The original had the pears in a coffee jelly. You don't have to go that far, but the two flavors were definitely meant to be together.

[bobsdf]

Poach pears in red wine with a bit of sugar. Reduce poaching liquid to a syrup. Serve with on a puddle of gorgonzola creme anglais with the red wine syrup drizzled on top.

[cbarre02]

Here are two desserts that I have recently prepared especially for the fall season. Both may be a bit over top, but if anything strikes your fancy feel free to use it. The first of the two I based on the classic combination of pear, blue cheese, and walnut, only in a more modern fashion. The second takes its influences from two popular beverages in Mexico: Agua de Jamica (a sweet beverage made with steeped hibiscus flowers), and Horchata (a drink that is made with cinnamon and rice, and in this variation is represented by rice pudding).

Mulled Cider Poached Pears

Walnut Oil Financier & Cabrelas Ice Cream

With Spiced Walnut Croquant

Hibiscus Poached Pears with Orange Powder

Warm Horchata Strudel & Warm Dried Fruit Compote

Cinnamon-Tequila Sorbet

I hope that these dishes can lend you some ideas.

Good Luck!

[cakedecorator1968]

Hi Michael,

Please expand on your "Saffron and Tea" idea.

Thanks!

BB

[cakedecorator1968]

Hi Cbaree02,

Whats is "Orange Powder"?

Thanks!

[Michael Laiskonis]

Please expand on your "Saffron and Tea" idea.

Just the thought that flavoring your poaching liquid with either may lead you into some new territory...

Saffron Poaching Syrup

750g water

250g white wine, preferably muscat, gewurztraminer, or riesling

juice and zest of one orange

300g granulated sugar

2 pieces star anise

2 pieces clove

1 stick cinnamon

pinch fennel seeds

pinch coriander seeds

1 piece bay leaf

2 pinch saffron

1. Combine all ingredients in a non reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil. Use as desired.

[cbarre02]

Orange powder is simply orange zest poached in simple syrup, then dried and aground into a powder. It is a nice garnish to a dessert, and offers orange flavor with out the acidity of the juice or the bitterness of the zest.