Authored By Shawanda Mason
To poach something means to simmer it in a small amount of liquid — think eggs, fruit or salmon even. The type of liquid can be whatever your imagination or taste buds desire. You can poach foods in water, wine, liquor or chicken broth. Honestly, the sky’s the limit. I don’t poach a lot of things but lately, I’ve really been into poaching fruit. It’s easy and elegant. The best part about poaching fruit? It doesn’t take very long and it makes for an easy dessert that doesn’t take all of your time. Today’s recipe is a classic in the sense that the art of poaching pears isn’t a new concept. A simple Google search will result in hundreds of recipes for poached pears. With this version of poached pears, we poached them Moscato wine, which has a bad reputation in some situations but can poaching fruits. Since the base of the poaching liquid is Moscato, it adds a little sweetness that isn’t too overpowering. There’s a little honey, which gives the poached pears a little depth along with other spices that pair well with pears. “Pairs with pears” ... that made me giggle a little. Anyway, let’s get to it. First, let’s make a simple syrup by combining equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan and stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside. You’ll have syrup leftover to use for a cocktail!
- 1 bottle Moscato wine (or another sweet dessert wine)
- A bit of simple syrup
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 pears, peeled
Using a saucepan large enough for the pears, combine the wine, simple syrup, cinnamon stick, honey, ginger and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the honey has melted. Add the pears and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender. Remove from the liquid and allow to cool. Serve with ice cream or just eat them plain. 
Shawanda Mason is the creator and blogger of Eat. Drink. Frolic. For recipe questions or to chat about eating, drinking or frolicking, she can be reached at eatdrinkfrolic@gmail.com or by following her on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.
