Peached pears with salted caramel drizzle
A divine dessert in winter weather, poached pears are as elegant as they are effortless. Sweet salted caramel balances out the fruit’s healthy edge to become your favourite thing to serve at mid-winter Christmas parties and beyond.
Ingredients
- 6 large pears
- 1L water
- 2-3 Tbsp honey or golden syrup, depending on preferred sweetness
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1 split vanilla bean to add spice (optional)
- 200g unsalted butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups cream
- 2 tsp sea salt
- Your choice of garnish: natural yoghurt, crème fraîche, chopped almonds or pistachio nuts
Method
- Prepare pears by slicing in half and removing the core – peel and leave stem intact if you choose.
- To a saucepan, add water, sugar, golden syrup and optional spices. Heat until the sugar dissolves, before adding pears.
- Poach for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the pears used, until translucent. Ensure the pears are completely submerged.
- While the pears are poaching, make your caramel sauce. Bring butter, brown sugar and cream together in another saucepan, then to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, being careful not to burn the sauce. When the colour resembles copper, remove it from the heat and stir in sea salt.
- Remove pears with a slotted spoon to a plate.
- Garnish with caramel sauce, a dollop of natural yoghurt, and a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts. Serve warm.
Make it savoury
Try garnishing with crumbled blue or feta cheese and chopped pecans.
