Spice-Poached PearsFrench Friday Haiku (with Dorie)

To time to prepare!

My post-vacation time-crunch

No time for Dorie!

I ponder the pear

Apple's elegant cousin

"easy" suits my style.

Another Dorie

Recipe non recipe

Only takes minutes.

Adapt with freedom

Impossible to get wrong

Poach to your pleasure

Some pears have issues.
As described here once before
But you should feel safe.

They keep a few days

So get imaginative

with versatile pears

Spice-Poached Pears
(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table" - Original recipe found here.

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white wine or 1/4 cup brandy or port (optional)
• zest of 1/2 orange peeled with a vegetable peeler
• zest of 1/2 lemon peeled with a vegetable peeler
• 2 pieces star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 2" portion of vanilla bean, split and opened up with your fingers
• 3 medium bartlett pears, just shy of ripe, peeled, cored, and split in half.  

Put all ingredients except for the pears in a medium saucepan over medium high heat until mixture begins to boil.   Reduce heat when boiling begins to a low syrup for 5 minutes until sugar dissolves and mixture simmers.   With a slotted spoon, drop pear halves in liquid, cover, and continue to simmer.   Check fruit with a sharp knife every 3-4 minutes until the knife goes through easily.   Do not over poach!  Knife should go through easily but a little resistance is fine.   Exact time will depend on ripeness of fruit or variety.

Transfer pears to a bowl and continue to boil the syrup for 10 minutes or until liquid measures about 1 cup or desired consistency.   Pour syrup over fruit and allow to cool to warm or room temperature.

"Spice-Poached Pears" was this week's assignment for French Friday's with Dorie, a cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan's culinary tome "Around My French Table".   Generally we are discouraged from including the recipes on our sites.  Wherever there has been significant adaptation by me or where the recipe has already been publicly posted by Ms. Greenspan or her publishers I will either include it here or provide a direct link. Please also feel free to contact me via the link provided on my page if you need any assistance finding French Friday with Dorie Recipes.