904
Honey-Cinnamon Bourbon Poached Pears
Deeply satisfying fall flavors, and such beautiful depth from the Bourbon! This is fall deliciousness at its best! Amazing by itself, mind blowing a la mode (I paired it with my homemade, no churn, olive oil ice cream... coming soon!)
Servings 4
Ingredients
Bourbon Poached Pears
- 2 each pears (I used Yali pears, use a crisp variety or a slightly underripe pear)
- 1 cup bourbon
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 each cinnamon sticks
Finish
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional, other nuts will work as well)
- 4 scoops ice cream (optional)
Instructions
Bourbon Poached Pears
- Place a pan big enough for the pears and poaching liquid on the stove. You don't want this too big because you want the liquid to cover/mostly cover the pears.
- Pour the Bourbon, water, honey in a pan just big enough for the poaching liquid and pears and turn on medium heat. Stir gently to allow the honey to dissolve then add the cinnamon sticks.
- Peel your pears, leaving the stem on. I poached mine whole but that definitely takes a bit more time and requires either removing the core before serving or doing it yourself as you eat the dessert (not exactly optimal). You can choose to core them whole or halve/quarter them and remove the core before your poach as well but there is something so pretty about the whole pear...
- Once the liquid is simmering, place the pears in the poaching liquid which should hopefully cover the pears.
- Turn down the heat so it is just simmering, cover and allow the pears to poach until cooked through. This will somewhat depend on your pear variety/ripeness, and whether you have them whole or cut. My whole Yali (very crisp) pears took about 30 - 35 minutes to fully poach but this is on the long end of the spectrum.
- Remove pears from the poaching liquid and set aside and allow to cool, about 15 minutes.
Finish
- Meanwhile, uncover the poaching liquid and turn the heat up slightly and allow your liquid to reduce a bit (by 1/3 - 1/2) until it is thicker, about 15 minutes and remove from heat.
- (Optional) Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and add the walnut pieces (or other nuts). Shake until golden brown and smell toasted about 1 - 2 minutes.
- Scoop ice cream onto serving dish. Add 1/2 pear (remove core if you haven't already and don't want each person to do it themselves). Pour warm, thickened poaching liquid over pears and a bit on the ice cream, sprinkle with toasted nuts, and enjoy!
Notes
I used a new pear variety for me, Yali pears (or Ya Li). They are amazing crisp firm when ripe and perfectly stand up to poaching! Add a bit of honey, cinnamon, and Bourbon and it's an instant recipe for deliciousness! Still working on my no churn olive oil ice cream recipe (much debate in the family) but will link it as soon as it's completed! Otherwise my no churn banana salted caramel ice cream, my honey cinnamon ice cream, or just plain vanilla would be delicious!