Super Poached Pears

Written By Elena K.

Poached Pear with Saffron, Cardamom served with Creme Anglaise and Crunchy Almonds

Poached pears are beyond delicious and this combination here is the perfect autumnal treat. It is incredibly quick and easy to prepare but at the same time it’s aesthetically very pleasing.

I used saffron and Cardamom in my poaching liquid which go very well with the vanilla from the crème anglaise. If you don’t like these spices you can just pick the ones you prefer. Cinnamon, ginger and cloves are also delicious and they will give you a flavour that is closer to the festive treats we all love.

I used half milk and half double cream for my anglaise. If you prefer you can make an anglaise with milk only. In this case you might have to slightly increase the egg yolk content. Doing 50/50 milk/cream gives you an even richer mouthfeel. We made these almonds in school recently to decorate one of the dishes and I am obsessed with how tasty and easy to make they are.

Ingredients

6 conference pears
250g caster sugar
1l water
1 big pinch of saffron (0.5g if you have a micro scale)
2 tbsp of cardamom pods (15 pods roughly)

Creme Anglaise

250g whole milk
250g double cream
1 vanilla bean pod
70g caster sugar
60g egg yolks

Sugared flaked almonds

50g water
50g caster sugar
100g flakes almonds

Step by Step

Poached Pears

  • Place your water and sugar in a big pot. Dissolve the sugar over medium heat

  • Peel your pears with a peeler. You only want to get rid of the skin and keep intact the rest of the pear

  • Lightly crush your cardamom pods. You don’t want to crush them completely, you just want them to open slightly. I used the flat side of my knife blade (the same way I would crush a clove of garlic)

  • As soon as your water starts boiling turn the heat down add in the saffron and cardamom pods as well as your pears.

  • Cover the pears with a cartouche. Cartouche is simply a piece of parchment paper that is cut as big as the surface of your pot and has a hole in the middle. The purpose is to keep your fruit submerged while it gently cooks

  • You don’t want the water to boil anymore but just lightly simmer

  • The cooking time depends on the size of the fruit. They are ready when they can easily be pierced with a fork or a knife. Mine took roughly 25 mins to cook

  • Take them off the heat and leave them in their poaching liquid until you are ready to serve them

Creme Anglaise

  • In a pat add your milk, double cream, half of the sugar

  • Prepare a bowl with a sieve on top and put aside

  • Scrape the seeds of the vanilla pod into the pot then add the pod in too

  • Heat your pot very gently. You don’t want it to boil but just to start steaming

  • In a separate bowl whisk your eggs with the remaining sugar.

  • As soon as you see steam coming out of the pat pour roughly 2/3 of your warm liquid into the egg/sugar mix. Mix well with your whisk off the stove

  • Once combined, pour the egg yolk mix back in the pot at medium heat. Get rid of your whisk and switch to a spatula (a silicon marise is perfect)

    IF YOU HAVE A THERMOMETER FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

  • Stir continuously with your spatula and don’t leave your pan unattended

  • Add your thermometer and keep the temperature under control while stirring continuously

  • The mix will slowly start to thicken as your temperature rises

  • You are aiming to reach 82 degrees

  • As soon as that happens strain your anglaise in the bowl with the sieve that you prepared earlier

  • Cover the surface with cling film and let it cool down

    IF YOU DON’T HAVE A THERMOMETER FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

  • Stir continuously with your spatula and don’t leave your pan unattended

  • The mix will slowly start to thicken as your temperature rises

  • It will first start thickening on the sides of the pan so it is important that with your marise you keep stirring thoroughly and that you cover the sides

  • Keep your eyes open and look how it gradually changes. As soon as you notice that the air bubbles are starting to disappear from the surface it means that you are approaching the right temperature

  • Another thing you’ll notice is that while stirring you will start to feel it slightly thickening. the resistance you’ll feel is very light but noticeable

  • At last, take your marise out of the pan. It will be covered in creme. Try to draw a line with your finger where the creme is. If the line you’ve drawn stays it means that the anglaise is ready

  • Strain your anglaise in the bowl with the sieve that you prepared earlier

  • Cover the surface with cling film and let it cool down

  • Try not to keep it too long or it might overcook and you’ll get scrambled eggs. Also, remember that it will thicken more as it cools down. Once it’s room temperature rest in the fridge

Sugared Flaked Almonds

  • Preheat the oven at 170 C

  • Prepare an oven tray with a silicon mat

  • In a pan combine the water and sugar and bring them to boil

  • Drop your flaked almonds in the pan an mix well

  • When mixed, spread them on the silicon mat and place it in the oven

  • When they start browning on one side take the tray out and mix the almonds with a spatula. Put them back in

  • They are ready when they reach a golden colour. It doesn’t take long, roughly ten minutes (depends on the oven)

  • When you take them out they will still seem soft but the sugar will become hard as it cools down

  • To assemble use a bowl and pour your anglaise, cut the base of the pear (so that it can stand upright) and add the flaked almonds

  • Enjoy!

Elena K.
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