Honey Minted Poached Pears Recipe
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Poaching is a gentle way to infuse flavor into fresh pears. Apples will work just as well in this recipe.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Pacific Northwest
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 quart water
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (BelleWood Acres, Lynden)
  • ⅓ cup raw honey (Backyard Bees, Custer)
  • 2 tsp fresh mint, minced (home garden, Lummi Island)
  • 4 Bosc pears (friend's orchard, Gooseberry Point)
  • Pinch of smoked cayenne pepper, finely minced (Rabbit Fields Farm, Everson)
Instructions
  1. Put the water, vinegar, honey, and mint into a saucepan and put near your cutting board.
  2. Peel and core the pears, and cut into quarters. Put quarters into the saucepan as you go so the cut pears won't turn brown from exposure to air.
  3. When all pears are in the pan, place the pan on the stove over high heat. Watch pan carefully. When it just begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium, or until the liquid barely continues to boil.
  4. Poach pears for about 15 minutes or so, until soft enough that a sharp knife can easily pierce a pear slice.
  5. Remove pears from the liquid.
  6. If desired, you can turn up the heat again on the remaining liquid and boil until it is reduced by at least half, or until it reaches the desired consistency. This will make a nicely flavored sauce to drizzle over the pears. Alternatively, you could drizzle with a small amount of warmed honey.
  7. Sprinkle pears with a little smoked pepper just before serving.
Recipe by Whatcom Locavore at http://whatcomlocavore.com/honey-minted-poached-pears-recipe