Simple Poached Pears

Poached pears keep well and are nice sweet touch to serve in their syrup when you've just had a family supper. Add vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, and you've got a poire Hélène. If you're feeling more ambitious you can dice them and add them with a dash of Poire William to a creme bavarois for a charlotte. If you want something in between, you can choose small pears and then use them whole to accompany petit pots de crème that you've perfumed with the fresh verbena or rosemary coming to market. The pears above eventually went into a tarte Bourdaloue. Martin Sec, Bosc, or Conference pears are all good for poaching.

Simple Poached Pears

4 small pears, not too ripe
2 cups white wine (or water with a dash of lemon juice, if you like)
75 grams granulated sugar
lemon zest (optional)
1/2 a vanilla bean (optional)

Put the white wine or water & juice and sugar into a small saucepan big enough to nestle the pears into. Add the vanilla bean and lemon zest and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Peel the pears and slip them whole into the liquid and let it simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the pears to cool in their juice. Keep them in the refrigerator in a non-reactive container. These will keep for at least a week.