Poached pears with espresso caramel? Calling all coffee addicts!
I'm still trying to "catch up". There just seems to be so much to do. Run errands. Pay bills. Organise meetings. Schedule appointments. Boring, "everyday" life things.
In the midst of these mundane tasks, I'm also testing a number of recipes out and lets just say they call it recipe testing for a reason. Take these poached pears for instance. I was instantly attracted to these aristocratic Beurre Bosc pears at the markets recently. Their shape and colours had me instantly thinking of photos and blog posts!
Poaching them is nothing new. A few years ago I presented a recipe on the blog for poached pears with chocolate and muscat. I was after something different though.
And then I remembered a wonderful meal I had with Amanda from Chewtown at a local restaurant here in Sydney.
We finished off the night with a ricotta panacotta with a caramel espresso.
This caramel espresso was like a foodie's wet dream!
Luscious. Dark. Sweet. And mysterious.
I knew I had to make this at home! And this is where it got interesting. It was nothing like the caramel espresso I had tried earlier. I think my mistake was making the caramel normally and then adding the espresso.
Don't get me wrong. It was delicious and the coffee flavour came through beautifully. It just needed to be thicker and more luscious. Next time I might omit adding water completely. Anyway, I'm back experimenting with another version that I hope I can share in the next few weeks.
Poached Pears with Espresso Caramel
Ingredients
- 4 pears, Beurre Bosc, peeled with stems intact
- 3/4 cup sugar, caster (superfine)
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract , or paste
For the caramel espresso:
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup pouring cream, not “thickened” cream
- 1 pinch sea salt
- ⅓ cup coffee, espresso preferred
Instructions
- Place the sugar, water, and vanilla 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.
- Meanwhile to make the espresso caramel mix the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium high heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and continue cook the caramel until it becomes golden brown (about 5-6 mins). Remove from the heat and very gently add the cream and salt. Whisk thoroughly ensuring it is mixed well. Stir through the espresso and whisk again. Set aside.
- Allow the pears to cool slightly before serving them drizzled with the espresso caramel.
Notes
Nutrition
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