Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Vanilla Poached Pears etc.

I have to say, I'm not the biggest fan of CHOW.com. They do have a few good recipes I have taken to heart though, and I enjoy reading Table Manners (probably a result from those manners classes and cotillion courses mom put me through; thanks mom, I really do appreciate it now that I'm older) so it has its plusses. I do love some of the recipes they make though, they have a simple decadence to them. A sort of Napa Valley... je ne sais quoi.

But this one really does beat all.

This recipe for vanilla poached pears was a real winner with me, Rob, and everyone whom I have served it. Very simple and easy. I always have lemons and stray vanilla beans laying around (How bourgeois does that sound?) so it's a simple dessert to bang out for company or for the hell of it.

Plus, you can always save and dry out the vanilla beans afterwards and place them in a small container of sugar, then grind it in the food processor for vanilla sugar. Thank Shuna - of the great Eggbeater blog - for the advice, which I got when I attended her egg whites class. Go here for more vanilla bean advice, or see some of her artful writing as she guest blogs at Simply Recipes about how to make a perfect pavlova as she taught me.

However, if vanilla sugar isn't your thing, pop them in some vodka, and let it sit a while in a dry, temperate place. It's a perfect way to party with the coming heat.

Take this recipe into a new direction by creating a sorbet! Go see!

7 comments:

  1. Oooooh I LOVE poaching fruit with vanilla pods. Delish!

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  2. That looks so simple yet so delicious. I haven't had a pear in so long, really makes me want one.

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  3. Pears in the most simplistic way, how they were meant to be. I have some vanilla beans hanging around and I will definitely be making these, and the vanilla sugar and the vanilla vodka as well, just the thing for summer indulgence!

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  4. I love poached pears, especially sliced on a pile of pancakes. And how cool you got to take a class with Shuna. I wish she'd come to NYC and teach some classes.

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  5. Poached pears in vanilla syrup. Served with homemade icecream. YUM

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  6. That sounds great! Were your pears super ripe? I can never find decent ones, but I hear that poaching can really liven up some mediocre fruits.

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  7. G--

    thanks for the links! poached pears are lovely indeed. and if you have an ice machine, puree tham with some of your poaching liquid and voila! gorgeous pear sorbet!

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Hey, you're leaving a comment! That's pretty darn cool, so thanks. If you have any questions or have found an error on the site or with a recipe, please e-mail me and I will reply as soon as possible.
~Garrett