Sticky Caramel Poached Pears with Vanilla Bean CremePrint Recipe

Pears are one of my favourite fruits – it’s not so much about the taste but more about the look. Don’t get me wrong – I love a good pear but what really attracts me is their shape and colour. Their beautiful Botticelli curves, their rich autumnal hues and their oh-so-rosy cheeks. There is also something incredibly sensual about them. The pear I have in mind is the Corella, rather than your every day pear. Having said that, your run of the mill pear has some of these merits too.

I have been poaching pears in red wine for years and I wanted to try something new so I looked up a few recipes, got some tips and whipped these up. I use the word ‘sticky’ in their name because they are poached in a liquid that contains a botrytis affected wine, it is also very syrupy (and is still stuck in splatters on my kitchen floor).

The pears are infused and caramelized with the spiced poaching liquid that gives them the most luscious of flavours, this is complimented with the mild tang and nuttiness of the vanilla bean creme. This dish is as simple as it is beautiful leaving your guests sticky lipped and full of praise for the perfect pear.

750 grams/1.6 pounds organic caster sugar
rind of 1 lemons and 1 orange
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
4 tablespoons of orange juice
2 cinnamon quills
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (reserve 1/2 the seeds for the creme)
10 small ripe corella pears, peeled, halved, cores removed with a melon baller
120 mls dessert wine (Sauturne)
90 mls pouring cream
30 gm butter

Vanilla Bean Creme
227 grams/8 ounces crème fraîche
300 mls pouring cream
3 tablespoons icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
vanilla bean seeds (1/2 from the vanilla bean used in the liquid)
 
Combine 1 litre of water with sugar, rinds, juices, spices, vanilla bean and 1/2 the seeds in a large saucepan, stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears, cover closely with a round of baking paper, weigh down with a plate and bring to the simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until just tender (20-25 minutes). Remove pears from liquid and set aside. Strain cooking liquid into a large deep-sided frying pan and simmer over medium-high heat until mixture reduces by 2/3’s and turns thick and syrupy (around 35-45 minutes). Add dessert wine, cream and butter, then stir until combined. Add pears to pan and cook, spooning caramel over pears until glazed (2-3 minutes), remove from heat and steep for a further 20 minutes. Remove from the liquid with a slotted spoon and serve with Vanilla Bean Creme on the side and a drizzle of the caramel liquid.

Vanilla Bean Creme
Whisk crème fraîche, cream, icing sugar and remaining vanilla seeds in a bowl until firm peaks form (2-3 minutes).

Notes: Get your stickys out – this is best served with a chilled Sauturne (a Chateau d Yquem perhaps?)

© 2010, Michelle. All rights reserved.