As I stare outside my window it's pouring. Raining "cats and dogs" or any other cliche you can think of!
It's "sit in front of the heater, with pyjamas and a glass of red/hot chocolate" kind of weather. (am I the only one who does this? LOL!).
A quick look in the pantry revelas a bag of Corella pears. Oops! Where did these come from?
I want a dessert tonight after dinner but I don't want to go overboard. Winter can really bring out the worst in me when it comes to desserts.
Like most people (I think) my body requires the extra fuel for these cooler months. So I settle on the idea of making poached pears.
Poached pears is one of those "classics" which I don't think will ever go away. I'm going to spice them up a little with some cinnamon, cloves and my favourite fortified wine, muscat.
And let's not forget everyone's favourite mood lifter-chocolate.
Really, how simple is this?
It hardly requires any effort and it almost feels like cheating!
Make a simple, spicy syrup, poach the pears, drizzle some chocolate and "Bob's your uncle". Dessert is ready!
This poached pears dessert is like autumn on a plate. If you don't really count the sugar it's quite "lo-cal" too!
A little interesting note: Corella pears are named after the Australian Corella parrot and were developed by the German population who settled in the Barossa Valley.
Poached Pears with Chocolate and Muscat
Ingredients
- 3 pears, the Corella variety, peeled with stems intact
- ¾ cup sugar, caster or superfine
- 3 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- ½ cup Muscat
- 100 g dark chocolate, melted in the microwave
Instructions
- Place the sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves and muscat in a pot over a low heat.
- Stir occasionally until all the sugar has melted and a light syrup forms.
- Place the pears in the poaching syrup and cook for about 15-20 mins (this may vary depending on their "firmness").
- Pears are ready when a toothpick pierces the flesh very easily.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving the poached pears with a drizzle of hot, melted chocolate and some syrup.
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