Pears Poached in Wine and Honey Sauce

So I had a few small disasters lately, the first one was my gas lines were being checked (got a new gas cooktop so they check everything) and literally in front of our eyes, my gas petered out. OMG! Now this is due to our being in a private home where they bring you your own private “gas balloons” or tanks and they have no gauge on them. Yup, what you are reading.

Suffice it to say, this was bad enough since delivery takes at least 3 days but on top of that, I said goodbye to my Dacor double oven. Sad but true it partially kicked the bucket and I ordered a new double oven. So for last week I still had the (pathetic but slightly working) oven and cooked what I could in it but had no gas. This week I have no oven but finally got gas. So it was a Shabbat with stovetop cooking and grilling the chickens on the Weber gas grill outside. (a post for another day). Pray for me the oven will be installed and work properly this week before the lockdown. Sigh, life is never dull.

DH and I picked up some cake but I decided to make a non baked dessert using my gas cooktop as something different and lighter, refreshing and appropriate for the New Year, especially since it has both pomegranate syrup and honey in it.

Since I had some lovely little pears I decided to make a refreshing poached pear with them using white wine and orange juice and spices. It’s easy and elegant and perfect after a big meal.

So, start with the pears. Wash them and DO NOT peel them, just slice a small bit off their little bottoms so they will be able to stand upright on a platter.

Now it’s important to pick pears that are not too soft, you don’t want them mushy rather just soft. If they are a bit hard, no worries, they soften up as they cook. They don’t even have to be very sweet since your poaching liquid will take care of it. Next grate the zest (peel) of half a large lemon or all of a small one, take 3-4 small slices of fresh ginger and a cinnamon stick and put in a 2 quart (small) pot with a lid.

Pour in a cup of the white wine (use a sweet wine or dessert wine) and a cup of the orange juice into the pot, and add a teaspoon of pomegranate syrup and gently submerge all the pears in the liquid and plunk in a star anise if you have it (very nice added flavor) and bring to the low boil, adding the honey to the pot as it’s starting to cook.

When it’s at the very gentle simmer, cover the pot and tilt the lid and cook for approximately 20 minutes or till a wooden skewer can pierce a pear with a little pushback. Take a slotted spoon and gently scoop the pears out and place them on a plate with a rim (might as well already put them on the plate you’ll serve them on). Now in the pot with the liquid, bring it to a higher boil and keeping an eye on it, cook the liquid down till reduced and somewhat syrupy for between 10-15 minutes. It will be about half the amount of liquid you started with.

Drizzle this over the pears and if you have a lot of liquid left, save it for a dressing over fruit salad or even as a refreshing syrup addition to water or seltzer. Waste not want not.

Serve the pears at room temperature or cold from the fridge, as you please, to the delight and refreshment of yourselves and guests. The general consensus was a round of wow and a definite addition to future menus.

Pears Poached in Wine and Honey Sauce

6 -8 small pears, washed and unpeeled (as many as will fit in your small pot but also be covered with the liquid)
1 cup (240 ml) orange juice
1 cup (240 ml) sweet white wine, like moscato/gewurtztraminer or dessert wine
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pomegranate syrup
2 – 3 peeled slices of ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1-2 whole star anise (I used 1, just a hint of flavor)
Peel of 1/2 a large lemon, grated

Put the wine, orange juice, honey, pomegranate syrup, ginger, grated lemon peel, cinnamon stick and anise in a small pot that will hold the pears and bring liquid to low simmer. Submerge the pears in the liquid, and cook gently for approximately 20 minutes till just tender (poke gently with a wooden toothpick or skewer to test one if need be). Remove pears with a slotted spoon to a serving dish with a rim to hold the syrup and cook down the liquid for another 10-15 minutes till a bit syrupy and liquid is halved. Serve cold or room temperature with the syrup drizzled on top. Delightfully refreshing and elegant, perfect after a heavy meal.