POACHED PEARS WITH CHRIS CRAWFORD, TART

POACHED PEARS

Ingredients

2 pounds Beurre D’anjou Pears
250 ml rose water
1.5 cup rose vinegar (TART)
1 cup water
10 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp saffron
1/4 cup maple syrup
Vanilla ice cream
Flake salt

Method

1. Choose a pot that is the right size to have all your pears standing up snug. In the pot, combine the rose water, vinegar, water, saffron and cardamom. Peel the pears but take care to leave the stems on. Arrange them in the pot standing up – add more water if they are not submerged.

2. Cover with parchment paper and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Check them towards the end – you should be able to pierce them with a knife but you don’t want them so soft that they don’t hold their shape. Once the pears are ready, remove them from the pan and place in a bowl. Add maple syrup to the liquid and let it simmer until it reduces to a syrup consistency – this will take a few hours.

3. Serve the poached pears with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of the homemade syrup and a sprinkle of flakey salt.