Saffron Poached Pears

I love the simplicity of these poached pears that chef Janni Kyritsis taught me to make many years ago.

At MG Garage, he served them alongside a delicate cardamom-scented blancmange made with yoghurt; I like them with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or dollop of Chantilly cream, or just on their own for a sweet ending to a picnic lunch!

You need a slightly fruity white wine for this dish. I use White Fences sauvignon blanc from Mudgee and drink the rest of the bottle with the dessert. Use top-quality saffron stamens, such as the Persian ones from Saffron & More, for the distinctive aroma and beautiful colour they impart.

Discover more cooking inspiration from chef Janni Kyritsis with our Online Greek Cooking Class. Use coupon Your Life by Sunday 18 February to receive a 50 per cent discount.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fruity white wine
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/4 cups caster sugar
  • generous pinch saffron threads
  • 4 small firm pears

Method

Place wine, water, sugar and saffron into a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears snugly and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.

Meanwhile, peel and core pears.

Add pears to the wine mixture; if necessary, add enough boiling water to just cover the pears.

Reduce heat, cover with a piece of baking paper and a lid and cook on the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until tender.  

Remove from heat and set aside to cool in the poaching liquid.

Cover and refrigerate until needed.

You’ll find a print-friendly version of this recipe here as well as a step-by-step video of how to prepare saffron for cooking.

Subscribe to my Recipe of the Week newsletter to discover more deliciously simple desserts. Find more cooking inspiration on my website BeInspired.au.

Also read: Baked Pears and Caramel Sauce

Roberta Muir
Roberta Muirhttps://beinspired.au/
Roberta Muir loves making it easy for home cooks to explore new cuisines and ingredients and sharing her passion for cooking, eating, drinking and travelling. She’s a recipe writer, cooking teacher, and author of four cookbooks including the Sydney Seafood School Cookbook. Find more of her inspiration at BeInspired.au
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