Poached Pears with Saffron
There is a magical alchemy in this dish: When you add a pinch of saffron to the simmering water, within minutes the liquid turns a deep, golden sunset hue. The pears, poached slowly in this fragrant simple syrup, absorb its color and warmth, and are transformed into a delicate, silky, jewel-like fruit. I like to serve them in glass bowls with a ladleful of the golden liquid. It is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat—an elegant end to a meal that belies how simple it is to make.
Poached Pears with Saffron
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 8 ounces sugar (1 cup)
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Large pinch of saffron
- 3 whole allspice berries
- 2 whole cloves
- ¼ cup Calvados or other apple brandy
- 8 pears, peeled, halved and cored
Instructions
- Pour the water into a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears and add the sugar, honey, cinnamon, saffron, allspice and cloves. Bring to a strong simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Reduce to a simmer, add the pear halves and the Calvados, and poach for 20 minutes, carefully turning the pears once or twice. Remove from the heat but leave the pears in the poaching liquid to cool.
- Serve 2 pear halves per person along with some of the poaching liquid. This is very pretty served in glass bowls. I like to serve it with little meringues or lemon shortbread.
Pascale Beale
Chef, teacher and food writer, Pascale Beale, owner of Pascale’s Kitchen, grew up in an eccentric European family who cherish food, wine and the arts. She is the author of 10 Mediterranean-style cookbooks, including the best sellers Salade and Salade II. Her food memoir, 9’ x 12’: Adventures in a Small Kitchen, a multi-media book, is hosted on Substack. Her latest cookbook is Flavour: Savouring the Seasons.
