Blushing Poached Pears From Silver Palate The New Basics Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the port and sugar in a saucepan with 2 cups water; heat until the sugar dissolves. Add vanilla beans.
• Peel and core pears. Pour on port mixture and simmer 15 to 40 minutes, until tender.
• Let pears cool in the liquid.
• Reduce the liquid to less than a cup. Serve individually with the liquid spooned over.

Steps:

• Fill a bowl with water, and add the lemon juice. Peel the pears, taking care to leave the stem intact, and place in the bowl of water.
• Tie the peppercorns and cinnamon stick into a cheesecloth pouch, and place in a large saucepan. Add the wine and honey, and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer 10 minutes. Drain the pears and carefully add to the wine. Simmer very gently for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow the pears to cool in the liquid. Discard the cheesecloth bag.
• Place the pears in serving dishes. Return the wine to the saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce by half of its volume. Spoon over the pears. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Steps:

• Bring the first nine ingredients to a boil in a large, noncorrodable saucepan. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
• Peel and core the pears, opening a generous hollow for the stuffing, but leaving the stems on. Drop each into the liquid as it is completed.
• Wring out a detergent-free dish towel (or five layers of cheesecloth) in hot water and lay it on top of the pears. Bring the liquid to a fast simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, or until a sample pear is tender enough to cut with a spoon edge and still firm enough so it will hold up to being stuffed.
• Remove the pears with a slotted spoon, reserve and refrigerate, if desired. Return the pan to the heat and boil until the liquid is reduced by about a third. You should have a thick syrup that will evenly coat the spoon. Strain and chill it, reserving the peels if desired (see note).
• At serving time, bring the pears to room temperature. Whip the cheese until it is light and fluffy, adding the tablespoon of sugar if a sweeter dessert is desired. Use a pastry bag to pipe each pear full of the cheese and place two on each plate. Spoon about one tablespoon of syrup over each. There should be just enough to streak and flavor the pears and form a bit of a puddle around them. Some syrup will probably be left over.

Steps:

• Mix gelatin mixes and water in Dutch oven. Bring to boil on medium-high heat; cook 2 min. or until gelatin is completely dissolved, stirring frequently.
• Add pears; partially cover pan with lid. Simmer on medium-low heat 20 min. or just until pears are tender, stirring after 10 min. Remove pears from liquid; discard pear liquid or reserve for another use. (See tip.)
• Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

Steps:

• Place water in a heavy pot. Stir in zest and juice of 1 lemon. Place pears in pot. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and split pods to the poaching liquid. Pour in sugar.
• Bring pot to a simmer over medium-high heat; stir gently to dissolve sugar with minimal jostling of the pears. Reduce heat so pears continue cooking over a steady, gentle simmer. Pears need to stay submerged, so place a small plate over them in the pot to keep them under the liquid. Simmer until pears are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Remove plate to test the pears for doneness.) Remove pot from heat and let pears cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid.
• Transfer pears and vanilla beans to a storage container and cover with some of the poaching liquid. Cover and refrigerate until pears are thoroughly chilled, several hours or overnight. Reserve all of the poaching liquid (see footnote).
• Heat hot fudge sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Dip base of pear into the chocolate and spoon chocolate along the sides except for the top inch or so of the pear.
• Place dipped pears in individual serving bowls with another generous spoonful of syrup and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.