Maple Poached Pears

Why poached pears are the perfect holiday dessert-

• This recipe can be made early in the day or even overnight. All you need to do to serve is assemble on dessert plates which is a perfect way for guests to be involved in helping with the meal. 
• No additional re-heating is required meaning your valuable oven space is not taken up by this recipe. 
• Pears are an elegant and unique dessert.  
• This dessert is light and refreshing- perfect after a heavy holiday meal. 
• You do not need the pears to be ripe- they are best when very firm. 

Ingredients in Maple Poached Pears:

1. Pears- Buy very firm pears so they do not bruise during peeling. I prefer firm Bosc, but Anjou and Bartlett work fine. They hold that shape while poaching. Do not use canned pears.
2. Vanilla maple syrup or pure maple syrup. Buy Pine & Palm Kitchen Vanilla Maple Syrup HERE.
3. Vanilla Extract
4. Vanilla bean paste
5. Honey
6. Kosher salt
7. Whole cloves- make certain they are fresh. If you haven’t used your cloves since last year, they are probably not very potent. Buy a new bottle.
8. Cinnamon sticks. Ditto on the cinnamon sticks.
9. Heavy whipping cream
10. Créme fråiche ( you can also use mascarpone)

Equipment for this recipe:

• shallow 12″ saucepan. This pan by All-Clad is the one I use.
• stand mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment
• vegetable peeler
• shallow dish to chill the pears
• mason jar
• small scoop or melon baller 

How to make Maple Poached Pears:

1. Peel and core the pears.
2. Make a poaching liquid in a shallow saucepan with water, maple syrup, honey, spices, and vanilla.
3. Poach the pears for 30 minutes until tender. Chill the pears. 
4. Reduce the poaching liquid for about 15 minutes until it becomes a thick syrup. Pour the syrup into a jar and chill. 
5. Whip the heavy cream, crème fråiche, and vanilla bean paste until thick. Pour in a bit of the reserved poaching maple syrup to sweeten. 
6. Plate the pears with a bit more of the syrup, and serve with a dollop of the whipped maple crème fråiche. 

Variations to this recipe:

• Make an oat crumble and sprinkle it onto the pears. Use the walnut crumble recipe HERE. Sprinkle into the hollowed-out core of the pears and bake in 2 cups of apple cider instead of the poaching liquid. 
• Serve with halved toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese for a savory finish to your dinner.
• Use apples instead of pears. 
• Save the whipped maple vanilla bean crème fråiche and use it as a topping for holiday pies- it is fantastic on pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie. 
• Make an extra batch of the poaching liquid and use it as a topping for baked French toast, pancakes, or biscuits. 

Other recipes using maple syrup: 

• Pumpkin Spice Bars with Maple Glaze
• Brown Sugar Bars
• Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
• Roasted Honeynut Squash
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Squash and Pecans 
• Kahlüa and Walnut Baked Brie
• Pumpkin Scones

Pro-tips for a perfect dessert:

1. Use very firm pears.
2. Make the pears a day in advance. Cover in a dish with plastic wrap. The Whipped Maple-Vanilla Bean crème fråiche is even better after a day in the fridge and you want it very cold before you add it to the whipped cream.
3. Make certain your spices are fresh. This can impact the flavor of the poaching liquid.
4. Serve on beautiful antique plates for a dramatic presentation. this is the perfect time to bring out your good china.
5. Buy the best vanilla paste, extract and maple syrup you can find. Do not use pancake syrup- that is just colored high fructose corn syrup.

Maple Poached Pears

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: holiday baking

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6 Servings

Author: Meggen

Ingredients

• 6 unit firm bosc pears
• 2 cups water
• 3 TBSP vanilla maple syrup or pure maple syrup
• 2 TBSP honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 2 unit cinnamon sticks
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Vanilla Bean Créme Fråiche

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz Créme Fraiche

Instructions

• In a shallow 12” saucepan, combine water, maple syrup, honey, vanilla extract, cloves, cinnamon sticks and salt. Bring to a simmer on low heat.
• Peel the pears taking great care not to bruise them. Slice in half keeping the stems intact when possible. Remove the core from each pear.
• Using a slotted metal spoon, gently slide the prepared pears into the poaching liquid and simmer for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, using the slotted spoon, turn the pears to cook on each side.
• Remove the pears from the liquid, place them into a shallow dish with room so they do not crowd each other, and chill. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves from the liquid with tongs.
• Increase the heat to medium and continue cooking the liquid to reduce the poaching liquid for another 15 minutes until thick. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Let rest for 10 minutes off heat. After 10 minutes, pour the poaching liquid, which should now be a thick syrup, into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Chill.

For the Vanilla Bean Créme Fråiche:

• In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on medium-low speed until frothy- about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until thick about another 1-2 minutes. Do not overbeat the heavy cream.
• Add in the vanilla bean paste and créme fråiche. Whip until thick and creamy. Add 2 TBSP of the chilled maple syrup poaching liquid and beat on medium speed until well combined. Chill.

To Serve:

• Place 2 pears, core side up onto a dessert plate. Spoon a teaspoon of the reserved maple syrup into the hollowed-out core of each pear. Spoon a generous dollop of the vanilla bean créme fråiche next to the peasts. Serve chilled.