Poached Pear Pizza 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 PIZZA

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt together together in a bowl.
• Whisk egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract together in a small bowl.
• Combine butter, white sugar, and 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in egg mixture. Add flour and salt gradually, beating until dough comes together.
• Turn dough out on a large piece of plastic wrap; wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; spread dough in an even layer on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until center is firm and edges are golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Whisk cream cheese, 1/4 confectioners' sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Spread icing over the cooled crust.
• Cover icing with sliced pears, overlapping slices slightly.
• Combine 3 tablespoons brown sugar and red wine in a small saucepan over low heat; stir until brown sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Add cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until reduced to a syrup, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Coat pear slices with syrup using a pastry brush. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar on top.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Broil pizza until brown sugar melts and browns, about 3 minutes. Grate fresh nutmeg over pizza; cut into squares.

PUFF-PASTRY POACHED-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and vanilla seeds and pod in a medium saucepan; cook over high, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pears; if not completely covered in liquid, add water as needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover with a piece of parchment, pressing it directly on surface of pears; simmer until tender to the tip of a knife, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer pears to a heatproof bowl, then increase heat to high and boil liquid until reduced to 2 cups. Pour liquid over pears; refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out one piece of puff pastry about 1/8 inch thick. Using an inverted bowl or cake pan, cut out a 10-inch round with a sharp knife or pastry wheel (save scraps for another use). Transfer to freezer until firm but pliable, about 15 minutes. Repeat with second piece of puff pastry.
• Use a small cookie cutter or pastry tip to stamp out a 1-inch-diameter steam vent in center of first round (this will be your top). Gently press an inverted bowl or 9-inch cake pan into center of round to create a border. Freeze until firm but still pliable, 15 to 20 minutes. With a paring knife, score 8 ovals with leaflike points from center of vent out to border to create "petals," being careful not to cut all the way through dough. Score each petal to make veins. Add additional flourishes, if desired.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in lower third. Remove pears from liquid; slice each half into thirds. Remove second dough round from freezer and shingle with pears, leaving a 1-inch border; transfer to refrigerator.
• Separate egg; whisk white in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk yolk with cream. Brush border of bottom round with egg white, and lay top round over it, pressing to adhere. With the back of a paring knife, score around edges at a slight angle in 1/4-inch increments. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Remove pie from refrigerator and brush with yolk-cream mixture. Bake, rotating once, until puffed and very golden, 45 to 50 minutes (if browning too quickly, tent with foil). Let cool 20 minutes before slicing and serving, with ice cream.

POACHED PEARS WITH VANILLA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a heavy 2-qt. saucepan, combine 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in milk and cream until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat., Gradually add a small amount of hot mixture to egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly (do not boil). Stir in vanilla. Pour into a bowl; place a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap on top of sauce. Cover and refrigerate. , In a large bowl, combine 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Carefully peel pears, leaving stems attached. Immediately plunge pears into lemon water. In a large saucepan, combine lemon zest, and the remaining sugar, water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Add cinnamon stick, cloves and pears. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until pears are tender., Carefully remove pears to a plate. Discard cinnamon stick and cloves. Drizzle syrup over pears. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. To serve, place pears on dessert plates; drizzle with chilled vanilla sauce.

POACHED PEARS IN RASPBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Core pears from the bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears. If necessary, cut 1/4 in. from bottom so pears will sit flat. Place in a Dutch oven. Add the pear juice, cinnamon stick, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 25-30 minutes or until pears are tender. , Remove the pears and place in serving dishes. Discard cinnamon stick and cloves from poaching liquid. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cranberry juice until smooth; stir into liquid. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add raspberries and syrup. Remove from the heat; cool slightly. , In a blender or food processor, puree raspberry sauce in batches until smooth. Strain and discard seeds. Pour sauce over pears. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.