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I knew I wanted to poach some of them but I was so over wine/honey/spiced pears. This is a brilliant alternative and perfect for those of you who are less enthused about wine or alcohol based desserts. The pears were poached in a basic sweet tea with only a hint of vanilla to round off any bitterness from the strong brew. The result was the most beautiful ambrosial flavour; heady but ‘clean’, deliciously fragrant and floral and it really allowed the pear to shine.
From there, how you choose to demolish these pears is up to you. I like the quick approach with maximum gratification – dipped in melted Callebaut chocolate and topped with crunchy chocolate granola and a dash of cream. But if an ever quicker fix is all you need, I highly recommend a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with the pears finished off with a dash of the poaching syrup for good measure.
French Earl Grey Poached Pears
Ingredients
1L water
125g caster sugar
20g tea leaves (I used T2 French Earl Grey)
1 strip of lemon peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
20-25 small Paradise Pears (or however many you can fit in your pot in a single layer)
Method
Combine the water, sugar, tea leaves, lemon peel and vanilla extract in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes to infuse.
In the meantime, peel your paradise pears but leave the stalks intact. If your pears were miniature like mine then best to leave it whole unless you have a teeny tiny corer.
Strain the tea mixture into another small pot then lower the pears into the poaching liquid, stalks pointing up. Make sure that they’re all in a single layer and are fully submerged up to the stalk in the liquid. Bring back to a boil then reduce the heat again and simmer pears gently for about 10 minutes (depending on the size of your Paradise Pears).
Pears are ready when a skewer pierces through the soft pear flesh easily (remember to skewer from the bottom).
Remove from heat and leave the pears to cool down in the syrup (note the longer you soak the pears, the darker the colour). Turn pears occasionally so it’ll colour evenly. Once cooled, you can store in the fridge.
Serve cool with ice cream, granola, oats, dipped in chocolate, however you like! If you wish, you boil up the remaining poaching liquid (remember to strain it first) until reduced and slightly syrupy.
{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooh they are SO CUTE!!! I keep wondering what they taste like. Looks like I just have to try this recipe!
Tammi recently posted..Spaghetti and Meatballs
Hehehe I know *squeal*. Hope you enjoy it! I have a feeling that this might be my favourite way to poach pears :)
wow! I love the sound of this. I also love T2′s french earl grey, so special.
Laura recently posted..Best spaghetti & meatballs
I didn’t even like earl grey but as soon as I smelt it, I had to buy it. Isn’t it the most gorgeous tea?
Well, you’ll be happy to know that you’re not the only one. I just went through my closet and found many unworn garments; garments that I don’t even like anymore. And just yesterday I had to throw out an enormous bag of yukon gold potatoes, as well as a bag of grapefruit. It is a sad, sad thing. I, too, am getting better.
Those pears are ADORABLE! I wish I could find some in the States.
Ashlae recently posted..Baking bits colorful stand mixers
Isn’t it terrible and the guilty feeling is the worse! Btw if paradise pears aren’t available then any pears would still be brilliant in this :)
$2! How could you not! Great flavours.
Exactly! And they were too adorable to pass up :D
Aren’t we all guilty of the same bad habits! I have already lost count of interesting food and ingredients I have acquired from my travels, forgotten and eventually thrown into the garbage bin. These pears are adorable and guess what! You’ve just reminded me that I have a can of miniature pears stashed somewhere in my pantry :)
shirley@kokken69 recently posted..Blood Orange Chiffon Cake With Blood Orange Jelly
Hi Shirley. Oh the guilt is even worse when it’s foods that you brought back from holidays isn’t it?
Oh my gosh! I just bought some pears today to poach and dunk in chocolate! I never thought of using tea… Definitely going to try this!
Martyna (Wholesome Cook) recently posted..Pork belly and pistachio terrine- beetroot relish
Great minds think alike ;)
Ahhhh those tiny pears are so darling!! I just want to bite into those chocolate dipped ones especially. Love Earl Grey.
Steph recently posted..Rhubarb Fool & Orange Granita
Hey Steph, these pears only needed two bites lol! So precious they were!
Oh boy, oh boy! This is right up my alley – pears, french earl grey, chocolate, GRANOLA! Yum! I will definitely try this recipe :)
Lol everytime I use French Earl Grey, I always think of you. This definitely has your name all over it! xx
*hi5* to impulse purchases! These look bloody adorable, I’ve only heard of them yesterday and now seen them cooked today! Love it! I LOVE the overhead shot of the poached pears and granola.
Pears dipped in chocolate? Why haven’t I thought of that before?! Nice work Karen!
Thanks so much sweets! These are my favourite pears, you should definitely try them out x
I love paradise pears! Love them too much that I eat them before they even get a chance to become anything beautiful like this =)
angie recently posted..Melting Moments with Rhubarb Jam Custard
Ahh see I’m the other way round. Which is why I have to remember to cook them first otherwise they’d go to waste hehe :P
So so pretty! I use tea for fruit cakes but never thought to use for poached pears. Thanks! Try using Mariage Freres Earl Grey – it is better than any I have ever tried for drinking and cooking! It is also more expensive of course!!
Sam@Cooks Larder recently posted..Micro Holiday Part 1- Roadside Mushroom Risotto
Thanks so much for the tip Sam! I’m always on the lookout for different brands of earl greys.
Those little pears are definitely squeal-worthy! I’ve been keen to start trying some more poached fruit – it seems perfect for the autumn weather – but was also a little worn out by all the wine and spice versions (and they have heaprs of sugar in so many of them (and I’m all for indulgence, but sometimes just a little bit of fresh, juicy fruit is so good without much else). So I’ll be trying these out pretty soon, I suspect – and perhaps with some chocolate tea I brough back from France last year. And thanks for the reminder to go and do something productive with the quince lurking in my fruit bowl, too!
Sticky Penguin recently posted..A Slight Misunderstanding
Hi Sticky Penguin, I couldn’t agree more with the excessive sugar in poached pears. I definitely prefer NOT to cook my fruit in syrup hehe. But oh! Chocolate tea?! I’m intrigued! Let me know how it turns out :D
And oooh quinces! I def need to get some asap. Once I finish off the remaining pears of course hehe.
EEEEEEE! those pears so teensy tiny! EEEEE sooooo cute omgomgomg *dances on the spot*
I know right?! Like super teeeeeeeeeeeeeeny. SQUEEEEE!! :D
Those miniature pears!!! I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it before! I’d totally be squealing too!
I don’t mind being called hasty – poached with ice cream sounded good enough to me! :)
Maggie@BritishBaking recently posted..Herbed Cabbage
Oh Gosh… these pears are super cute! Wonder if they have similar ones in melb?
I’m sure they’ll be around but this was def the first time I seen them so small in Sydney :)
Ello ello,
I’m also super guilty of such habits! hehehehe…especially can’t resist a good bargain with fruits only to leave it unattended in the fridge (again…hehehehe)…But guess what!! I have a pack of paradise pears in my fridge too! I really adore them..the last time I wanted to turn them into dessert, I ended up eating the lot fresh! They are so fragrant!!! YUM!!..And yes…floral, fragran tea is a MUST! Long Live Earl Grey! :P
Amen to Paradise Pears! Definitely my favourite to bake and eat!
It helps that I love Earl Grey tea to start with, but T2′s French Earl Grey is definitely something special with its heady fragrance!
mademoiselle délicieuse recently posted..The quest for scones
I was head over heels in love the first time I smelt it. It’s truly amazing :)
This looks fabulous! I don’t like Earl grey and I still buy it. And then I take it to work for colleagues to use it. I’m crazy!
I don’t blame you! I don’t drink earl grey too but I can’t help but be smitten with the perfumed, almost floral smell. Which is why I love to bake with it :)
Great looking pears! I was looking for the type of alcohol or wine that you used :( tho this sounds like a great recipe!
chopinandmysaucepan recently posted..Chinese twice-cooked duck with orange
Hi there, if you’re wondering what alcohol to use, I think a slightly sweet and fruity red wine or a sweet white would be perfect! However if you need something a little more robust and hearty, then a nice deep red that’s strong on berry flavour and/or spices would be a great choice! Hope this helps :)
I’d have this with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream please. The miniature approach is adorable.
pickyin @ LifeIsGreat recently posted..Tomato and Marjoram Roast Chicken
Who would’ve thought fruits could be so adorable? :)
They are just so adorable! You are not alone in making purchases of bargain priced produce only for it to head to the bin on chuck out night.
Sara @ Belly Rumbles recently posted..Tapas Train @ Sushi Choo
Yup it’s a bad habit we all need to change hehe am I right? :)
OHMY I’ve never seen such tiny pears before but they look OH SO LOVELY!!!
And I lol-ed when I saw your first paragraph – you totally described me too! I still have a number of dresses in my wardrobe which still have their tags on, despite having been there for more than a year, and boy do I get crazy at “bargains”, only to forget about them shortly!
Hehehe I feel a whole lot better knowing that heaps of people have the same bad habits ;)
Wht an utterly beautiful dish! I’m always picking up random ingredients on a whim – it can be so much more fun to pick the ingredients that look nice and then come up with the recipe. Wonderful and light too, although I would also be tempted to smother them in chocolate!
I agree! Sometimes when inspiration is lacking, it helps to just buy a random ingredient to get the ideas churning :)
I have never seen pears that tiny ever! I am bad with fruit too, I buy it trying to be healthy and then I just forget about it.
Susan recently posted..Osso Bucco
Ooh, I was looking for a unique way to poach pears and this is it! It sounds beautifully refreshing and fragrant, I’m going to try it this weekend.
Thanks you so much for this recipe. Tried it last night and it was gorgeous!!
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