Port Wine Poached Pears

Pears have been poached for some time.  Archaeologists have found ancient mummies with perfectly poached pears just so they can take them into the afterlife.  It is even said that the ferry man (Charon) on the River Styx can be bribed with a Port Wine Poached Seckel Pear (what is he supposed to do with 2 coins in the afterlife?).

Fortunately poaching is not especially difficult and pears are almost made for poaching.  This recipe makes less than ripe pears edible.  This particular recipe features Ruby Port, in this case an inexpensive one.  The flavors of pear, cinnamon, port, honey and vanilla all come through in the final product.  There is a slight sweetness and strangely a certain amount savoriness from the Port.  This has not been prepared to be a particularly rounded flavor as it will be combined with a few more things.  The rich color comes from allowing the pears to soak in the poaching liquid over night.

Ruby Port, Sugar, Seckel Pears, Honey, Cinnamon, Vanilla and a Straight Sided Sauce Pan

Peeled and Cored Poached Pears with a Melon Baller and Peeler

A shot of the deeply Melon Balled Pears ready to hit the Hot Tub

The Ingredients combined in the Sauce pan.  Notice that the pears are nearly immersed.

A small plate covers the Pears to insure that they stay immersed in the poaching liquid.

The pears, now tender, are separated from the poaching liquid to cool more quickly.

The Pear after soaking in the Poaching Liquid over night with Poached Pear Ice Cream and Pear Creme Brulee

General notes:

Total Time: 24 hours, actual hands on prep time: 20 - 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

6 Seckel Pears (or whichever you like)

750 ml Ruby Port Wine

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Honey

1 Tsp Vanilla

Written Instructions:

• Combine ingredients except Pears in a medium straight sided sauce pan
• Peel Pears, leaving stem attached for presentation purposes
• Using a melon baller remove core of Pear from the bottom of the pear, taking care not to break pear
• Carefully add Pears to the sauce pan with the other ingredients, try not to splash as it might stain your clothes)
• Bring Pears and Liquid up to a boil and quickly drop to a gentle simmer.  In other words small bubbles that will not move the Pears around very much
• When the Pears have become tender, test this by inserting a thin knife into one of the pears, if it goes in easily, the Pear is tender
• Remove the sauce pan form the heat and put somewhere that you can easily remove the Pears from the liquid
• Remove the Pears and place in a separate container that will fit the Pears, the Liquid and fit in your refrigerator
• Let the Pears and Liquid cool for a few minutes, recombine and put into your refrigerator
• Ensure the Pears are immersed in the poaching liquid, by weighting them slightly if need be
• Forget about them until the next day
• Take them out, drain and make it happen in your tum tum, or add them to your favorite dish, or stuff with cheese

Selection and Basic Preparation

Seckel, D'Anjou, Starkrimson

Selection
There are over 5,000 varieties of pears grown across the globe. The local grocer carries maybe 5 if you are lucky so rather than detailing every pear that trees can grow the focus will be turned to pears in general. Pears are an interesting fruit in that they ripen after being picked. This means that buying an unripe pear is more of a test in patience than of fruit squeezing ability. Pears should smell fragrant and be as blemish and and bruise free as possible. Pears ripen from the inside out so a good test of ripeness is to gently press near the stem of the pear and feel for how much it gives. If it is hard and you are not willing to wait a few days it is time to cook them. If it is soft and you are hungry wash it up and make it happen. The more common types of pears that might grace the shelves of your local grocer are D'Anjou, Asian, Bartlett, Bosc, Comice, Seckel. The following are descriptions from the Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

D'Anjou: A large winter pear with firm flesh and yellowish-green skin that is often blushed with red. It's sweet and succelent and is delicious both cooked and raw. The D'Anjou is available in most regions from October through Midwinter.

Asian Pear: There are over 100 varieties (most grown in Japan) of this firm, amazingly juicy pear whose season is late summer through early fall. In size and color, they range from huge and golden brown to tiny and yellow-green. In general, ripe Asian pears (also called Chinese pears and apple pears) are quite firm to the touch, crunchy to the bite (unlike pears we're used to), lightly sweet and drippingly juicy. The most common Asian pear in the United States is the Twentieth Century (also know as nijisseiki), which is large, round and green to yellow in color. Ripe Asian pears should be stored in the refrigerator.

Bartlett: This large bell-shaped fruit has a smooth, yellow-green skin that is sometimes blushed with red. The Bartlett's flesh is sweet and juicy. It's generally available from late July through October and is delicious either cooked or raw.

Bosc: A large winter pear with a slender neck and a russeted yellow skin, the Bosc is available from October through April. It has an agreeable sweet-tart flavor and is delicious fresh or cooked. The Bosc holds its shape well when baked or poached.

Comice: [kuh-MEES] This large, exquisite pear has a meltingly smooth, sweet flesh and fruit-filled fragrance. It ranges in color from greenish-yellow to yellow blushed with red. It's available from October to January and is best eaten uncooked.

Seckel: [SEHK-uhl] It's a small russet-colored fruit with a sweet, spicy flavor. The Seckel's firm flesh makes it excellent for both cooking and canning but some people find it too crisp for out-of-hand eating. It's available late August through December.

Basic Preparation
The following shows how to get a pear ready for most types of cooking. Most poaching recipes ask to keep the pear intact and preparation of that will be shown in subsequent posts.

Starkrimson Pears with Bird's Beak Knife

Peeling pear from stem to base in thin strips, a vegetable peeler may also be used

Removing core with melon baller, a spoon or a careful knife may also be used

Carefully remove the stem from above and below the core by cutting a "V" into the pear