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–+ servings
a decorative bowl of our poached asian pear dessert recipe
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5 from 3 votes

Poached Asian Pear Dessert Recipe

This elegant Asian pear recipe takes mere minutes to prepare. It does most of the work itself while it sits. For dessert, serve by itself, over ice cream, or topped with whipped cream. For breakfast, it's great over yogurt with or without granola, or over oatmeal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Additional Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Fruit Desserts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: asian pear dessert recipe, asian pear dessert recipes, asian pear recipes, poached asian pear, poached asian pears
Servings: 4
Calories: 70kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 2 medium Asian pears about 1 pound/(454 grams) total
  • 2 cups (475 ml) water
  • 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
  • ½ vanilla bean halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out
  • 3 thin slices ginger about ½ ounce/(14 grams) total
  • Zest of 1 lemon peeled into strips with a vegetable peeler

Instructions

  • Remove cores from pears and slice them ¼-inch thick.
  • In a medium pot, combine the water, sugar, vanilla seeds and pod, ginger, and lemon zest.
  • Bring to a brisk simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved.
  • Add pear slices, stir to submerge in liquid, and simmer for three minutes.
  • Remove from heat and leave to cool completely.
  • To serve, divide pear slices among four serving bowls and spoon a bit of the poaching syrup overtop. Serve alone, atop yogurt or ice cream, or topped with whipped cream.

Notes

  1. You'll need to make it at least 90 minutes in advance to give the pears a chance to cool completely, but you can do it a lot earlier if you like. They'll keep well at room temperature for a day and in the fridge for a week or more, as long as all the fruit is covered with syrup.
  2. There are so many ways to enjoy this recipe. I love them for breakfast straight up, spooned over yogurt with or without granola, or atop some oatmeal. For dessert, try them alone, with whipped cream, or over ice cream.
  3. My favorite thing to do with any leftover syrup is to spoon a bit of the syrup and one of the strips of lemon peel into a cocktail. It works well in such a wide variety of drinks, from an Aperol or Hugo Spritz to a Gin & Tonic and beyond. This is a great place to play. If you're not into alcohol, you could mix it into some sparkling water for a lightly flavored treat.
  4. If Asian pears are unavailable or unaffordable, you can substitute Bosc pears.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Sodium: 13mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g