Vanilla Poached Pears Recipe
This Vanilla Poached Pears are a delicious and easy dessert to make. They really highlight the beautiful flavour pears have and are a gorgeously simple way to serve them. This easy dessert is made with just 4 ingredients; pears, sugar, water and vanilla. This recipe is a lovely base recipe (that happens to be gluten free and vegan!) as you can add a variety of different flavourings to jazz it up. Think cinnamon, cardamom, white wine, red wine, star anise, orange zest, rum, bourbon etc. An example would be my Cardamom & White Wine Poached Pears.
So how do I make these Vanilla Poached Pears from scratch?
Begin by peeling each pear fully. Slice off the bottom of each pear a tiny bit, just enough to level the bottom so they are able to stand up alone. In a saucepan, check to see if the pears can all fit into the saucepan fully, the saucepan should be taller than the pears also.
If the pears fit , add the sugar, water, vanilla and peeled pears to the saucepan. Take the piece of baking paper that is a little bigger than the saucepan and carefully press down onto the top of the syrup. This is to keep the pears from rising out of the syrup while cooking. Cook on a medium heat (allowing the syrup to simmer gently) for 10-15 minutes until the pears are soft when poked with a sharp knife.
Allow to cool slightly. Serve the pears warm with ice cream, yoghurt, whipped cream, cake, porridge, pancakes etc. Allow leftovers to cool and store the pears in the syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Keep any leftover syrup by straining it carefully to remove any pear pieces. The vanilla syrup can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the fridge and can be used for drinks or poaching more pears.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any kind of fresh pears for this recipe. I went with Rocha pears but you can also use Conference, Comice or whatever is available in your local shop. I would advise you to choose fresh pears over tinned pears as they hold their shape better and are not as sweet.
I like to use just ripened pears for this recipe, they are a little soft when squeezed but not mushy. You can use under ripe pears too, but you may need to cook them an extra 5-10 minutes to ensure they are soft.
There are lots ways you can serve these, with ice cream, whipped cream, porridge, pancakes, cakes, cheesecakes etc. You can also serve them simply just by themselves. As they are vegan and gluten free by themselves, you can add whatever you’d like!
Don’t throw it out! Allow it to cool and strain to remove any pear pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month. It can be used for cocktails, mocktails or used to poach more pears.
Maybe you’re interested in Gluten Free Recipes? I have Gluten Free Category, here.
Vanilla Poached Pears
Equipment
- 1 peeler or small sharp knife
- 1 deep saucepan, small- medium sized
- 1 piece of baking paper a little bigger in size than the saucepan
Ingredients
- 5-6 whole pears
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 400 grams water
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 stick cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Begin by peeling each pear fully. Slice off the bottom of each pear a tiny bit, just enough to level the bottom so they are able to stand up alone.
- In a saucepan, check to see if the pears can all fit into the saucepan fully, the saucepan should be taller than the pears also.
- If the pears fit , add the sugar, water, vanilla and peeled pears to the saucepan.
- Take the piece of baking paper that is a little bigger than the saucepan and carefully press down onto the top of the syrup. This is to keep the pears from rising out of the syrup while cooking.
- Cook on a medium heat (allowing the syrup to simmer gently) for 10-15 minutes until the pears are soft when poked with a sharp knife.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- Serve the pears warm with ice cream, yoghurt, whipped cream, cake, porridge, pancakes etc.
- Allow leftovers to cool and store the pears in the syup in an airtght container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Keep any leftover syrup by straining it carefully to remove any pear pieces. The vanilla syrup can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the fridge and can be used for drinks or poaching more pears.
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