There're a rare few recipes, which really transform the main ingredient and take it to a different level altogether. This recipe is one of those. For sure.
Pears are normally mildly sweet / sour with no in-particular distinctive taste. They're soft and this makes them perfect for poaching. While Poached Pears are generally done with Wine, I felt we could do so much better! This recipe takes full advantage of the colour and fragrant royal flavour of Saffron! While it's sweet, it's spicy too. It's an explosion of flavours and you'll love it!
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| Delightfully rich, fragrant, succulent and spicy - Saffron Poached Pears! |
Ingredients (for 4):
- Pears - 4 Nos. Medium sized, Ripe and Juicy.
- Saffron - 1 Pinch.
- Powdered Sugar - 1 cup (or more if you really want them sweet).
- Cinnamon - 2 medium sized whole sticks.
- Star Anise - 2-3 whole ones.
- Bay leaf - 2 large ones.
- Lemon Zest - of 1 lime.
- Lemon Juice - of the 1 lime you'll zest.
- Pepper corns - 4 whole black pepper corns.
- Water - 4 cups.
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| From a Humble Fruit to a Delicious Dessert - in 30 minutes FLAT! Isn't that good? |
Preparation:
- Peel the pears, leaving their stalks intact - they'll be handy while cooking / serving. Cut the bottom of pears flat so they can rest in a flat-surface pan upright.
- Heat the Water in a Deep Pan. Add all the spices - Cinnamon, Star Anise, Bay Leaves, Pepper Corns and of course, Saffron.
- After the water starts to boil gently, add Pears and make sure they're covered with the water to top. If not, you'll have to lay them side-ways later on to ensure even poaching and cooking.
- Add sugar. Let everything boil. You'll see the pears absorbing all the flavours and colour. It's a delight to watch them go gold!
- Add Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest. Let everything simmer.
- Take a knife and gently run it through the Pears for testing if they're done. If they're done, you should be able to glide the knife effortlessly - perhaps, like in a well-boiled potato.
- Once done, take the Pears off on a plate - let them cool. You may refrigerate the pears for 1-2 hours before serving.
- Let the spice concoction boil. Reduce the spicy concoction to a syrupy consistency and set it aside after removing the bay leaf and cinnamon sticks - everything else can remain in there.
- Serve the Pear on a Plate and Spoon over the Spicy Syrup over and around the Pear. Enjoy!!
Tip: Serve with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream with chopped Toasted Pistachios for an incredible combination of Royal Flavours!
