Poached River Char With Pearl Barley Winter Root Vegetables Napa Riesling Chive Veloute Recipes

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.

POACHED PEARS WITH RIESLING

Steps:

• Core pears from the bottom, using a small melon baller to scoop out the seeds. Cut a round of parchment to fit inside a large pot (it should be wide enough to hold the pears in one layer). Place pears in pot along with wine, brown sugar, and enough water to just cover pears (2 to 3 cups). Scrape vanilla bean seeds into pot, then drop in pod. Cover with parchment round.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat; simmer, turning pears occasionally to coat with liquid, until very tender but not falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on ripeness and size of pears. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a large bowl. Remove and discard vanilla bean pod. Cover bowl with parchment round (or cut a new one to fit).
• Bring poaching liquid to a boil and cook until reduced to consistency of thin syrup, about 10 minutes. Pour syrup over pears and refrigerate, covered with parchment, until cool. Serve pears in shallow bowls or cups; tuck a chocolate-mint leaf into stem end of each one, if desired.

POACHED VEGETABLES FOLLOWED BY POACHED FISH

Steps:

• Put a tablespoon or so of salt in a medium (say 6-quart) saucepan and add enough water to cover whatever you might cook. Bring to a boil.
• Add the carrots, reduce the heat so the water bubbles gently (cover partly) and cook until just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove, plunge into ice water (or at least cold running water). When cool, drain and put in a plastic container or sealable bag.
• Potatoes: Same treatment. About 15 minutes, again depending on size. Fennel, green beans: Ditto. Five minutes or less for each.
• Shrimp or fish: No different really, except if you're cooking white fish, undercook it a bit so it doesn't fall apart. Shrimp just has to turn pink, really. Cooking time for shrimp, scallops, squid: 2 minutes or so. For fillets (nothing too thin, or they will fall apart): 5 minutes or so.

POACHED PEARS IN SPICED RED WINE

Steps:

• Halve the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the black seeds and put in a large saucepan with the wine, sugar, cinnamon and thyme. Cut each piece of pod into three long thin strips, add to pan, then lower in the pears.
• Poach the pears, covered, for 20-30 mins, making sure they are covered in the wine. The cooking time will very much depend on the ripeness of your pears - they should be tender all the way through when pierced with a cocktail stick. You can make these up to 2 days ahead and chill.
• Take the pears from the pan, then boil the liquid to reduce it by half so that it's syrupy. Serve each pear with the cooled syrup, a strip of vanilla, a piece of cinnamon and a small thyme sprig.

SCARLET POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• Bring wine, beet, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and bay leaves to a boil in a 1 1/2- to 2-quarts saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
• Add pears and cover with a round of parchment paper. Simmer, turning occasionally, until pears are tender and liquid is syrupy, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pears to a bowl. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaves and pour syrup over pears. Cool completely in syrup, about 30 minutes.

PEARS POACHED IN PORT WITH CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Tie allspice and peppercorns in a cheesecloth bag with kitchen string. Put bag in a large saucepan with remaining ingredients except pears and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• Peel pears, leaving stems intact, and arrange on sides in poaching liquid. Simmer, uncovered, gently turning from time to time, until tender, 20 to 40 minutes depending on ripeness.
• Discard cheesecloth bag and carefully transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Boil poaching liquid until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes. Discard ginger, cinnamon stick, and zest. Serve pears warm or at room temperature with syrup.

POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine champagne, orange juice and sugar. Add orange slices, cloves and vanilla. Bring to a boil, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Place pears in saucepan, and reduce heat. Cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove cover, and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Remove pears from the liquid, and let cool.
• Heat chocolate in a bowl over hot water, stirring until melted. Pour chocolate over the pears, and serve.