Five Spice Poached Pears with Maple Chantilly
Red-wine poached pears seasoned with five spice and orange peel, paired with maple-sweetened cream and roasted almonds.
Servings: 4 pear halves
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 3-quart saucepan
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 Chef’s knife
- 1 large stirring spoon
- 1 teaspoon
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
Poached Pears
- 1 large orange
- 750 milliliters dry red wine 1 standard bottle or 3 cups
- 288 grams dark brown sugar 1.5 cup
- 7.2 grams five spice powder plus extra for dusting (1.5 teaspoons)
- 1.2 grams coarse Kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon
- 2 Bartlett pears
- Roasted slivered almonds for crunchy garnish
Maple Chantilly Cream
- 120 milliliters heavy cream ½ cup
- 15 milliliters real maple syrup (1 tablespoon
- 1 pinch table salt
Instructions
- Place a medium mixing bowl in the freezer.
- Peel and juice one large orange. Place both the peels and juice into a saucepan. I use a 3-quart pot. Pour the dry red wine, brown sugar, five spice powder, and Kosher salt, into the pot. Place the pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer gently for 15 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally. At about the 10 minute mark, peel the two Bartlett pears. Add the skins directly to the simmering pot. Slice the pears in half vertically (from stalk to stalk end), and use a spoon to core the pear halves.
- At 15 minutes, add the pears to the simmering mixture. Cook until fork-tender: If soft and ripened, cook for 15-20 minutes. If green and firm, cook for up to 40 minutes. Flip the pear halves occasionally. When finished, transfer the pears to any dish and set aside.
- Make the Chantilly cream (sweetened whipped cream). Remove the mixing bowl from the freezer, and add the heavy cream, maple syrup, and table salt to the bowl. Whisk vigorously until your preferred whipped cream texture. I like medium peaks, where it’s malleable but still light and delicate.
- Plate the dish how you’d like. I smear the whipped cream onto the center of a plate, cover it with roasted slivered almonds, place the pear half in the middle cut-side-up, drizzle some poaching syrup in the cored center, and dust the top with five spice powder.