Poached pears
Easier than you think. These make a wonderful dessert, especially when entertaining. And because the fruit is whole you get all the benefit of the fibre within.
Ingredients
- 4 pears ripe and of good quality
- 1 Lady grey tea bag Earl grey would work too
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla pod you can fish this out and re use it!
- 1 zest of a lemon use a speed peeler and don't include the pith.
- 1 zest of an orange use a speed peeler and don't include the pith.
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 200 g dextrose/glucose powder
- 500 ml cold water
Instructions
- Carefully peel each pear leaving just the stalk. Cut a thin slice from the base so that they will stand unaided.
- Put all the other ingredients in a pan large enough to take the pears lying down.
- Bring to the boil and add the pears. Simmer for 10 minutes, turn the pears over and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove the pears and keep warm.
- Strain the syrup so that you just have the liquid left. Bring the liquid up to a rapid boil and reduce to about a third, takes about 20-25 minutes. Watch it doesn't boil over as its murder to clean from the hob!
- Serve in individual bowls with the syrup poured over each pear.