Poaching pears often seems like an overwhelming task, but I am here to tell you it’s not! I have created this step-by-step tutorial on how to poach pears, with this recipe including pomegranate juice!

Poached pears are one of my favorite desserts. The spices used fill the kitchen with an aroma that brings me right back to those cozy fall and winter nights, providing warmth and a sense of grounding; they almost remind me of mulled cider! I love to top my poached pears with a mixture of Greek yogurt and ricotta cheese to add some creaminess to the deliciously tender pear. However, the best part about these poached pears is you get your sweet treat and a serving of fruit in one dish!

How to Poach Pears

To start, prepare all of your ingredients by measuring them out and creating your mise en place, which translates to “everything in its place.” From there, place the pomegranate juice, wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a large saucepan. Cover the saucepan, and bring this mixture to a boil. 

While the mixture is coming to a boil, peel the pears, keeping the stems on. Once peeled, take a melon baller or small spoon and core the bottom of the pears.

Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture, stirring until sugar dissolves. After the sugar is dissolved in the simmering liquid, add the pears, orange zest, and orange slices to the saucepan. Return to the mixture to a simmer and cover. Cook the pears 15 to 20 minutes, turning pears occasionally. When the largest part of the pear is fork tender, remove the pan from the heat. Chill the pears until they are cool to the touch (this prevents them from breaking apart).

While the pears are chilling, whip up some of the Greek yogurt, ricotta and orange zest, for the perfect creamy topping! And voila, my easy, quick method for how to poach pears. What do you think?

What is poaching?

When the term “poach” is used, all it means is that the food is cooking in a simmering liquid. This can be done with many other fruits and foods (like fish and poultry) as well!  Poaching helps to keep foods moist and tender.

All about Pears

For this recipe, I used a Bosc pear. I especially love to use a Bosc pear in this tutorial for how to poach pears because they are heartier and hold up well. A ripe on unripe Bosc pear can be used because even when it is not quite ripe, it still imparts a slight sweetness. If you want to learn more about the health benefits of pears, click here! 

All About Pomegranate Juice

Health Benefits of Pomegranate Juice

I love pomegranate juice for this recipe on how to poach pears because it adds another level of flavor to the pears. I also love it because of its health benefits! When the whole pomegranate is used to create the juice, like my favorite POM Wonderful, it provides us with antioxidants which are known to keep our cells healthy. Additionally, 1 cup of pomegranate juice provides us with a good source of the electrolyte potassium, which keeps our muscles happy and healthy. This recipe provides us with tons of nutrients!

Similar Pages

If you loved indulging in this dessert, check out my Healthy Blueberry Crisp with Corn, my Mixed Berry Yogurt Ripple Dessert, and my Easy Mango Dessert Mess!

Resources

Bosc Pears: Nutrition, Ripening, History & More. (2018, August 15). Retrieved December 21, 2019, from https://usapears.org/bosc/.

Pomwonderful. (n.d.). POM Products. Retrieved December 21, 2019, from https://www.pomwonderful.com/products/pomegranate-juice?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpIno-LXH5gIVCY3ICh24ogWfEAAYASAAEgJ9dvD_BwE.

Seidenberg, C. (2018, February 27). Perspective | Don’t know how to poach foods? It’s worth learning. Retrieved December 21, 2019, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/dont-know-how-to-poach-foods-its-worth-learning/2018/02/27/fe4fa88a-18e0-11e8-92c9-376b4fe57ff7_story.html.

Pomegranate Poached Pears

one serving: half a pear with topping

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Keyword: fruit dessert, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups pomegranate juice
• ¾ cup dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir (or red grape juice)
• 1/3 cup maple sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 3 medium pears peeled and cored
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 4 orange slices

Optional topping:

• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons ricotta or creme fraiche or mascarpone
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

• Combine pomegranate juice, wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a large saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Meanwhile peel pears, leaving stem attached. Using a melon baller (or metal spoon) core the bottom of the pear.
• Add pears, orange zest, and orange slices to the saucepan, return to a simmer, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes, turning pears occasionally, until tender when pierced in thickest part.
• Cool pears in saucepan, then transfer with poaching liquid to a container. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
• As pears are chilling, in a small bowl whip together Greek yogurt, ricotta, and orange zest.
• To serve, cut pears in half, top with yogurt mixture, and spoon some poaching liquid around pears.

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