Poached Pear Pillows Recipes

EASY POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine lemon zest, cinnamon stick, allspice, ground pepper, apple cider, and water.
• Add pears. Cover with waxed paper to prevent discoloring. Bring to a simmer. Cook, turning pears occasionally, until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Remove pears from liquid; transfer to large bowl.
• Raise heat to high; boil cider mixture until reduced to a syrup, about 15 minutes. Discard cinnamon. Pour syrup over pears; refrigerate. To serve, slice off a sliver from the bottom of each pear (so it stands upright). Serve pears with lemon sorbet, if desired.

POACHED PEAR PILLOWS

Steps:

• Place pears in a medium saucepan. Add wine, 1/2 cup sugar, cloves, orange juice and zest, and just enough water to cover pears. Scrape in the vanilla seeds, and add the pods. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring gently. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until a paring knife easily pierces the pears, approximately 15 minutes. Transfer poached pears and poaching liquid to a medium heat-proof bowl; set aside to cool.
• Place almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process until finely ground, about 2 minutes.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, flour, and ground-almond mixture; mix until combined. Transfer frangipane to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler. Secure top with a rubber band; chill.
• Lightly flour a clean work surface, and line two baking sheets with parchment. Roll out one piece of puff pastry to a 12-by-14-inch rectangle. Using a paring knife, cut pastry into six equal rectangles. Cut out six pear shapes from each rectangle. From the pastry trimmings, cut out twelve 1 1/2-inch leaves, and press two onto the top of each pear shape. Place assembled shapes on baking pan, and refrigerate until firm. Repeat process with remaining piece of puff pastry.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove pears from liquid. Cut pears in half, and, using a melon baller, core; set pears aside. Pour liquid through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids.
• Return liquid to saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid has been reduced to a syrup that coats the back of a wooden spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer syrup to a small bowl, and set aside.
• In a chilled bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form; cover with plastic; chill.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Using a fork, prick center of each pastry. Pipe a triangle of frangipane, about 2 tablespoons total, around each pastry, leaving a 1-inch border. Place a pear half in center of each "pillow."
• Bake pear pillows until pastry just starts to take on color, 8 to 10 minutes. Combine the corn syrup with 1 teaspoon warm water in a small bowl. Remove pear pillows from oven, and brush pastry edges with corn-syrup wash. Return pillows to oven, and cook until golden brown all over, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Divide desserts among plates, and brush each with reserved wine syrup. Serve each with a dollop of whipped cream.

POACHED PEARS WITH CREAMY PECAN SAUCE

Steps:

• To poach the pears: In a large pot, combine the water and sugar over medium-high heat. Using a vegetable peeler, cut wide strips of lemon zest from the lemon and add to the pot along with the juice of the whole lemon. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Submerge pears in the simmering liquid, adding more water, if necessary, to just cover the pears. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle just large enough to cover the pot. Ease the paper down into the pot until it is touching the surface of the liquid. Simmer the pears until a knife inserted directly into a pear meets little resistance, about 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and cool the pears completely in the poaching liquid.
• To make the sauce: In a saucepan, over high heat, combine the brown sugar and water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the sauce is reduced, thicker and takes on a dark golden brown color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully stir in cream, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in the toasted pecans and salt.
• Serve 1 to 2 pear halves per person, drizzled with the creamy pecan caramel sauce.

CHOCOLATE PEAR POUCHES

Steps:

• Peel the pears and, using a melon baller or paring knife, core from the bottom, leaving the stems intact. Combine the wine, 3 cups water, the sugar, dried cherries, cinnamon stick and cardamom in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the pears (add more water to submerge the pears, if necessary). Poach until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; let the pears cool in the liquid. (To make a day ahead, transfer the pears and liquid to a container, cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the chocolate, walnuts, 1 tablespoon melted butter and a pinch each of sugar and salt in a bowl. Remove the pears from the liquid and stuff with some of the chocolate mixture. Simmer the poaching liquid over medium-high heat until syrupy, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Repeat the layering 2 more times. Cut the dough in half crosswise. Spoon the remaining chocolate mixture in the center of each piece and top with the pears, stem-side up. Pull up the corners of the phyllo to meet at the pear stem; pinch and twist the excess phyllo. Brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Transfer the pouches to a baking sheet and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with the cherry syrup.

AUTUMN POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• Melt butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Arrange pear slices on a microwave-safe baking dish. Pour butter mixture over pears, cover, and microwave until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in cranberries, pepitas, and walnuts.n

WINTER POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• Peel pears, leaving stems intact; set aside. Heat water to boiling in 3-quart saucepan; remove from heat. Add tea bags; let steep 10 minutes. Squeeze tea from tea bags; discard bags. Stir juice and candies into tea. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until candies are melted.
• Arrange pears upright and close together in saucepan. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, spooning sauce over pears occasionally, until pears are tender when pierced with tip of sharp knife.
• Remove pears from syrup. Cook syrup over medium-high heat about 25 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve sauce over pears.