Poached Pears With Parmigiano Recipes

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.

POACHED PEARS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears. Cut 1/4 in. from bottom to level if necessary. Place in a large saucepan; add the water, vanilla, cinnamon stick and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes or until pears are almost tender., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and cinnamon. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool. , Drain pears; place on dessert plates. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.

POACHED PEARS WITH ASIAN SPICES

Steps:

• Combine sugar and spices with 5 cups water in a medium saucepan (large enough to accommodate the pears upright), and turn heat to high. Peel pears, leaving stems on, then core them.
• Lower pears into the water, and adjust heat to gentle simmer. Cook pears, turning them every 5 minutes or so, until they meet little resistance when prodded with a thin-bladed knife, usually 10 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, and cool pears in liquid.
• Place pears on serving plates. (At this point they can also be covered and refrigerated up to a day; they should be brought to room temperature before serving.) Reduce the poaching liquid to about a cup (it can also be stored for a day), then spoon a little over each pear before serving.

PEARS POACHED IN MARSALA

Steps:

• Peel the pears and scoop out the cores from the bottom with the point of a swivel bladed potato peeler. Immerse the pears in water mixed with two tablespoons of the lemon juice.
• Bring the Marsala to a simmer in a saucepan that will comfortably hold the pears upright. Add the sugar and cinnamon stick. Once the sugar has dissolved stand the pears up in the pan and cook gently until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the pears from the pan, draining them well.
• Bring the Marsala mixture to a boil and cook rapidly until it is reduced to about three-fourths of a cup and is syrupy. Stir in the remaining lemon juice. Pour the syrup over the pears and cool before serving.

FRESH PEARS WITH PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• In a small bowl, vigorously whisk the vinegars and dark brown sugar together.
• Halve and core the pears, leaving the skins on.
• Slice each halve into long thin slivers.
• Drizzle with a little lemon juice to keep from turning brown.
• Fan out about 4 or 5 pieces of pears on each of six salad plates.
• At the base of the fan place a knob of cheese.
• Moisten each chunk with a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and serve. Enjoy!

FLAMBEED VANILLA-POACHED PEARS WITH APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, and vanilla extract to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add 3 or 4 pear halves, reduce heat to medium, and simmer gently until the pears have just turned tender, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked pears to a warm chafing dish or metal serving dish, and continue to cook the remaining pears.
• Increase heat to medium-high, and boil the syrup until it has reduced to 1 cup. Stir in apricot preserves and return to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and stir into the simmering syrup. Cook and stir until thickened and clear, about 30 seconds.
• To serve, pour the hot sauce over the pears, and sprinkle with the rum. Carefully ignite the rum tableside with the lights turned low. Let the alcohol burn out before serving.

BALSAMIC-ROSEMARY POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• In a saucepan just large enough to hold pears on their sides, combine 5 cups water, vinegar, sugar, rosemary, and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
• Arrange pears on their sides in a single layer in poaching liquid. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer pears to a plate. If making in advance, let pears cool; then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
• Bring poaching liquid to a boil; cook until slightly syrupy, deep brown in color, and reduced to 3/4 cup, 35 to 40 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (discard solids). If storing, transfer syrup to a covered container, and refrigerate up to 3 days. (Store pears and syrup separately.)
• Serve pears chilled or at room temperature: Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear so it can stand upright. Place one on each of four serving plates along with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Drizzle with syrup.

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 PEARS (POIRES POCHEES)

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon juice and pears and let sit for 2 minutes. Remove pears from the hot water 1 at a time and carefully peel, leaving stem intact.
• Combine wine, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and star anise in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Rinse pears and add to the boiling wine mixture. Use a plate on top of pears to keep them submerged. Simmer until a knife very easily pierces the pears, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and allow pears to cool in the wine mixture.
• Serve pears in a bowl, either whole or sliced and cored.

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 WITH QUINCE PASTE IN PARMESAN CLOAKS

Steps:

• Peel pears, leaving stems intact, then core from bottom with melon-ball cutter to create a 2 1/2-inch-deep cavity. Rub pears all over with lemon juice in a large bowl.
• Bring wine, sugar, vanilla bean, and zest to a boil in a wide 6-quart heavy pot (at least 12 inches in diameter) over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add pears, arranging them on their sides in 1 layer, along with any lemon juice from bowl (pears will not be covered by liquid), then reduce heat to low and poach pears, covered, turning occasionally, until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a 13- by 9-inch baking dish, standing pears upright and reserving liquid in pot.
• When pears are cool enough to handle, fill cavities with quince paste and stand pears upright in dish again.
• Boil liquid in pot over high heat until syrupy and reduced to about 3/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour syrup over pears and cool, basting occasionally with syrup. Chill, covered, basting occasionally with syrup, until cold, at least 2 hours.
• Drizzle each pear lightly with syrup and slip a parmesan cloak over stem. Serve with cheese shavings on the side.