How To Poach Fruit Recipes

PERFECT POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place the vin santo, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla bean, and zests in a large, shallow saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact, and scoop out the seeds from the bottom with an apple corer or melon baller. Lay half the pears on their sides in the poaching liquid and simmer for 20 minutes, carefully turning the pears once with a spoon. Remove with a slotted spoon. Poach the remaining pears in the same liquid. Snip off the hard stems from the figs with scissors. Add the figs, apricots, prunes, and the first batch of poached pears and simmer 5 to 10 more minutes, until the pears and the dried fruit are all tender.
• Chill the pears, dried fruit, zests, and poaching liquid. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla bean before serving if you like.

HOW TO POACH FRUIT

Steps:

• Choose fruits that work well with poaching, for the best results. Suggested fruits include: Stone fruits - peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums etc. Pears Apples Rhubarb Persimmons Figs Oranges Cherries.

POACHED PLUMS

Steps:

• To prepare the plums: wash and cut them into quarters, then remove the stones.
• Tip the sugar into a pan with 225ml water, the cinnamon and vanilla. Gently heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Slide the fruit into the syrup. Bring the pan to the boil, then let it simmer for 5-10 mins - depending on the ripeness - until the plums are soft. Leave to cool slightly and serve as they are with something creamy.

POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, lemon peel, and 5 cups water. Place over medium heat, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Gently place nectarines in the liquid. Add more water if needed to cover nectarines. Place a square of cheesecloth over the fruit, and top with a small plate to keep fruit submerged.
• Increase heat to high, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until nectarines are tender but not soft, about 5 minutes. Remove nectarines from liquid, and allow to cool
• Return liquid to a boil, and cook until reduced to a syrup that will coat the back of spoon, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool.
• Cut nectarines in half, and remove pit. Place two halves on serving plate. Drizzle with syrup. Top each half with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of mint.

POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Peel and dice fruit. Place Riesling in saucepan, add sugar, basil and fruit. Simmer slowly until fruit is tender. Cool and serve over ice cream.

POACHED FRUIT WITH CORNMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Mix in the egg. Stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture, mixing just to combine. Mix in the raisins.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out as many cookies as possible, using a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Place on the lined baking sheets. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Bake the cookies in batches until lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Sift confectioners' sugar over the tops. Set aside.
• To make the fruit, combine the wine, orange juice, vanilla, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and sugar in a large, nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the pears, lower the heat so the liquid barely simmers and poach until the pears are soft but not falling apart, about 20 to 30 minutes. Lift out the pears with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl and set aside.
• Add the plums and poach until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Lift out the plums and add to the pears. Add the figs, make sure liquid is barely simmering and poach for about 8 minutes. Lift out the figs and add to the pear mixture. Raise the heat and simmer the poaching liquid until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Gently stir the blackberries into the fruit mixture and pour the hot syrup over all. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Divide the fruit evenly among 4 bowls, spooning the syrup over the top. Serve immediately with the cookies, about 3 per person. You will have cookies left over.

FRUIT, POACHED AND MARINATED

Steps:

• Pour chardonnay into a medium saucepan. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean halves into wine and add pods. Add honey, cinnamon stick, raisins or currants, and dried apples and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a bowl with water and add lemon juice. Peel bananas; cut them in half lengthwise and then in 2-inch pieces, and immediately place in the acidulated water. (This prevents bananas from discoloring.)
• Drain bananas and add to simmering wine. Add nutmeg. Returnmixture to a simmer, cover and simmer 5 more minutes. Remove from heat. Add almonds. Remove cinnamon stick and if you wish, add a little more nutmeg. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream or plain yogurt if desired.

COMPOTE OF POACHED FRUIT AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Line a sieve with a double thickness of cheesecloth, and place over a bowl. Place yogurt in cheesecloth, and wrap securely. Allow to drain overnight in refrigerator.
• Peel pears, cut in half lengthwise, and pour lemon juice over them. Place pears cut-side down in a large saucepan. Add dried figs, apricots, cherries, wine, cinnamon, star anise, and vanilla bean and seeds. Cover, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, until pears are soft when pierced with a knife but still hold their shape. Uncover; allow fruit to cool in the liquid.
• Remove core from pears using a melon baller. Arrange pear half, dried fruit, and yogurt in compote dishes. Strain remaining poaching liquid, and discard the solids. Drizzle compotes with poaching liquid, and serve.