You get two for one with this recipe! There are the fabulous poached pears and also you get to enjoy its delicious liquid as a tea. They can be served for the holidays to delight your guests or any time when you need a little boost in the fall. As a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, I like creating individualized teas for people but it is also gratifying to come up with fun seasonal teas as well. This fall drink is no exception.
The sugar is caramelized, the warming spices are gently infused and the sweet pears are added at the end for poaching. The end products are the firm poached pears that can accompany any fall dish and this wonderful light drink that warms your body and soul. You can surprise your guests for Thanksgiving dinner with these delicious treats!
The sweet and juicy pears are also valuable for health. They are cooling and slightly acidic. They help the lungs by moving stagnation and keeping them moist during the dry season. They are high in fiber that is very much needed in the fall. Pears are also good source of antioxidants, minerals like copper, iron, potassium, manganese, magnesium and vitamins A, B, and C.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Qt of water
- 4 larger firm but ripe pears (Bosc, Bartlett). You can poach more pears in this liquid. Leave the stems on if they have stems.
- 1/8 -1/4 cup of sugar
- Mulling spice (please see below)
- zest of lemon peel
- 3 orange rings if you have it
- pinch of salt
- maple syrup or caramel sauce
Preparation
- Place 2 Qt water along with the sugar in a medium size pot. Bring to a boil, this will caramelize the sugar.
- Turn the heat down and simmer the spices for 10 minutes. I chose cinnamon, all spice, orange peel, ginger, cloves, cardamom. It is a good idea to set a timer, time is important here. Please see the recipe below.
- Meanwhile wash the pears. You can peel them and cut the bottoms of the pears off or just leave them as they are.
- Turn off heat completly and add the pears into the pot. Keep them in the steam for about 5-10 minutes. The pears will poach in the steam. You want your pears to be soft but not mushy.
- Serve the poached pears with dinner or own its own as a dessert with maple syrup or caramel sauce. Keep the liquid for a delicious warming drink.
Mulling spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon chips
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 3 pieces of cloves
- 1 Tbsp dried orange peel
- 7 cardamom seeds
- 1/2 tsp of dried ginger root (cut and sifted) or 1 tsp fresh ginger root
enjoy!
Recipe, photo and text by twincitiesherbs.com.
Twin Cities Herbs 