Poached Pears with Walnuts, Apricots, Currants

Poached Pears with Walnuts, Apricots and Currants

Ingredients:

       Poached Pears

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 1 + 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cinnamon sticks (canela)
• 1 teaspoon cloves placed in a tea diffuser
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
• 6 whole Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and hollowed
• Parchment paper

      Stuffing

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dry currants
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

      Garnish:

• Vanilla ice-cream (optional)
• Sprigs of fresh mint

Directions:

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring, until nuts are lightly toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add chopped apricots and currants. Cook, stirring, for 1 more minute. Add brown sugar and cook mixture, stirring constantly, 1 more minute. Remove from heat, let it cool. 

Chopped walnuts and apricots with currants

Stuffing made with roasted walnuts, apricots and currants

Wash pears. Cut a thin slice at the bottom of each pear so that it could stand on its bottom. Using a mellon baller core the pears removing seeds. 

Pears

Bottoms cut to provide a flat surface

Hollowed pears with seeds removed

Pears hollowed and peeled, ready to be cooked

 
Combine wine, 1 cup of sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks (canela), cloves and lemon zest in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Add pears and 3 cups of boiling water. Place parchment paper over the pears to keep the them submerged in liquid. This way the color will be even all around the pears. Let it simmer over low heat until pears are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove pears, set aside let them cool to room temperature. 

Pears in liquid with sugar and spices

Parchment paper is used to submerge the pears in liquid

Pears cooked, ready to be stuffed

In a small pan combine 1 cup of the left over liquid. Add 1/2 cup sugar. Simmer on low stirring for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside for garnishing.

Stuff the pears with the fruit and nut mixture. Pack tightly. There will be some stuffing left for garnishing.
Chill stuffed pears in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.

Stuffed Pear

To serve, place a pear in a serving dish. Drizzle some of the sauce over the pear, let it drip down to the plate. Place a scoop of vanilla ice-cream next to the pear. Sprinkle left over apricot/currant/walnut stuffing over the ice cream. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!