Poached Pears

Poaching something means to cook an object to 160° - 180°F in a flavourful liquid. Essentially you are infusing and simultaneously softening an object by simmering it in a liquid. Pears are good candidates for this because they will not loose its shape when left in liquid for a long time, rhubarb is also often poached as it is another good candidate for poaching.

Things that are often used to infused a poached item in a sweet application are: cinnamon, nutmeg (has a very strong flavour), cloves (strong), lavender (strong), syrups, wine, herbs, chamomille, mint (turns black when cooked), spices, peppercorn, rosemary, etc.

White or red wine can be used. You need to be careful about the flavour profile and the aesthetic choice between white or red wine. Aesthetics: if you use a red wine then the colour will bleed into the object which you can control by making choices over things like poaching the fruit whole or sliced. Whole fruits will seep colours in at a slower rate then sliced items. Flavour profile: if you use box wine it will taste like box wine (pretty much sums it up). Zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah are good reds to use. Riesling, sauvignon blanc, and gewurztraminer are good choices for white wines.



Formula:
6 pears, whole and peeled
1# sugar
1 pt. wine
2 pt. water



MOP: takes roughly 40 min.

• Bring sugar, wine, and water to boil in a large pot
• While this is heating up, peel pears. Slice and core if you decide you want that aesthetic.
• Reduce sugar mixture when it reaches a boil (between 160° - 180°F). Place pears into the pot.
• Cover with a parchment circle and a plate (or if you have a top to the pot you can use that too) so that the pears and liquid do not escape and do not oxidize it is also so that the pears stay fully submerged.
• Cook pears until tender, check with a knife when the knife easily breaks the surface remove from heat.
• Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight. If you do not cool the liquid then the alcohol aroma will seep into other products in your store room, it is very strong.