It’s the fall. And there are an abundance of pears. You need to poach them. Believe me. It’s so necessary.
Desserts don’t have to be extravagant. They don’t have to be layered, take 4 hours, or have an insane amount of complicated components. Sometimes you just want something simple. Healthy. Elegant.
For presentation’s sake alone- these are a necessary addition to your dessert rotation. I will definitely be making these the next time I have company over.
The lovely pink hue is from the raspberry poaching liquid. The lemon thyme (totally optional) has a subtle flavour, and the vanilla bean adds fantastic flavour to make a delicious dessert that is just sweet enough.
I used the tiny forelle pears (or sugar pears), but you can alternatively use a larger pear such as bartlette. I just thought that the small pears were the perfect serving size- I instantly regretted this when I ate them… Damn me and thinking everything small is cute.
Vanilla Bean, Lemon Thyme, & Raspberry Poached Pears
Print RecipeIngredients
- Pears:
- 4 Forelle pears, peeled, halved and cored
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 1 vanilla bean, sliced in half and seeded (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- 4 sprigs lemon thyme (optional)
- Garnish:
- sliced almonds
- fresh raspberries
- a sprig of fresh lemon thyme
- reduced cooking liquid OR honey
Instructions
Place the pears in a medium saucepan. Add the maple syrup, raspberries, vanilla bean (halves and seeds), and lemon thyme. Add water until the pears are just covered.
Heat the pears until they just reach a boil. Bring down to a light simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Let cool slightly in liquid before removing and setting aside in a bowl.
Bring the liquid back up to a boil and simmer. Reduce until left with ~1/2 cup of liquid. Strain.
Serve the pears topped with fresh raspberries, 1 tbsp of sliced almonds and a drizzle of the cooking liquid (or honey).
Notes
*if you don't want to spend the time to reduce the liquid, drizzle the pears with honey (pictured).
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