Sure, these look like simple poached pears. And it looks like I fancied them up a bit by adding mint leaves, and a berry sauce.
But ... wait! There’s more! I experimented a bit at holiday time, when I was given a cranberry curd made by my friend Kitt. I cored, poached, and stuffed some pears with the curd.
Several weeks ago I made lemon curd, and the experimentation continued. Unlike the cranberry curd, the lemon curd needed something to give it body. I whipped up some cream cheese, folded in the curd and...
The result? A nice surprise of creamy-lemony flavor when we cut into our pears. Alas, we ate these too fast and I didn’t get a photo of the sliced pear with the filling showing...
There are so many more experiments to try! Perhaps nut paste, or a luscious ganache… maybe, now that it’s autumn, a blue cheese mousse and a drizzle of chestnut honey?
For my guests, it will always be a surprise!
~ David
Pear Surprise
4 small pears, around 4-5 ounces each
poaching liquid to cover (see notes)
2 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon curd
4-6 tablespoons berry purée (see notes)
mint leaves, with 1/4-inch stems, for garnish
Core the pears leaving the tops, with stems, in tact. Peel the pears, and place in the poaching liquid. Bring them to a boil, reduce heat, then cook at a brisk simmer for 5-10 minutes - depending on ripeness - or until easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove from the heat and let cool. Cover and refrigerate the pears, in their poaching liquid, for several hours. I find it practical to poach the pears 1 or 2 days in advance and store them refrigerated in their poaching liquid.
Combine the cream cheese and lemon curd and refrigerate, covered, for an hour to firm. This can also be made in advance and kept refrigerated.
Before dinner guests arrive, remove pears from the poaching liquid, drain, and pat dry with paper towels, including the cavity. Put a tablespoon of the lemon-cheese mixture in each cavity, scraping off any excess that won’t go in. Place the pears, standing on a plate, back in the refrigerator.
When time to serve, spoon a tablespoon or two of berry purée on a plate and top with a pear. Using a small skewer, make a hole in the top near the stem and insert the stem of the mint leaf.
Serves 4.
Notes
Poaching Liquid. There are so many variants, the simplest being water and sugar. The liquid may be spiced with cinnamon and ginger, or citrus peel, or flavored with wine. White wine - which is what I used - doesn’t change the color of the pear. Rosé will give them a slight blush, and red wine or port will turn them deep pink or, after sitting in their poaching liquid for a day, dark red. You need to have enough liquid to cover the pears, and for these four, I used about 1/2 cup sugar.
Berry Purée. I use fresh berries whenever I can but frozen berries are convenience an excellent substitute! Use raspberries, or a mixture of berries. Cook the berries with a little sugar and a dash of liqueur, if desired. I use Chambord, Cointreau, Triple Sec, or Amaretto. Simmer for 5 minutes or so (until berries soften - if using blueberries, they should have popped!), then cool and push through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. The longer you cook them, the thicker the purée.
Labels: berry sauce, lemon curd, poached pears, stuffed poached pears