Spice-Poached Apples or Pears

Name: Spice-Poached Apples or Pears
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup honey; 1/3 cup sugar; 3 cups water; Zest and juice of 1/2 orange, zest removed with a vegetable peeler cut in wide strips; Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, zest removed with a vegetable peeler cut in wide strips; 2 pieces star anise; 1 piece thin cinnamon stick (about 1½ inches long); 1 piece vanilla bean (about 2 inches long), split, seeds removed with a paring knife, seeds and bean reserved and scraped; 3 medium apples or pears, peeled, halved, and cored

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan

Adapted by Emily Weinstein

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(40)
Notes: Read community notes

Cooked fruits and simmered compotes are among the simplest of French family sweets. While they’re usually served with little more than heavy cream, crème fraîche, or plain yogurt, they can also be paired with rice pudding or French toast, moistening the pudding or toast with the poaching syrup and then spooning over the fruit. —Emily Weinstein

Featured in: The Baker's Apprentice: Galette

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

½cup honey
⅓cup sugar
3cups water
Zest and juice of ½ orange, zest removed with a vegetable peeler cut in wide strips
Zest and juice of ½ lemon, zest removed with a vegetable peeler cut in wide strips
2pieces star anise
1piece thin cinnamon stick (about 1½ inches long)
1piece vanilla bean (about 2 inches long), split, seeds removed with a paring knife, seeds and bean reserved and scraped
3medium apples or pears, peeled, halved, and cored

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Put all the ingredients except the fruit in a large saucepan, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. As soon as the liquid boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Carefully drop the apples or pears into the pan and bring the syrup back to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook until the fruit can be pierced easily with a thin knife, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the fruit; check early and often. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples or pears to a bowl.
Step 3
Turn up the heat and boil the syrup for another 10 minutes, at which point you’ll have about 1¼ cups. Pour the syrup over the fruit, cover, and let cool until slightly warm or at room temperature.

Tip

For storing: You can make the fruit up to a day ahead. Pack the fruit and syrup into a covered container and refrigerate.

Ratings

4 out of 5

40 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Tasty6 years ago

Just made this with the last 2 of our own large heirloom apples from last fall--poached them in a cup of water with 1/3 cup sugar, a wisp of stick cinnamon, twist of lemon peel and a cardamom pod. Put it all in the pot together, simmered till apples softened, then took them out and cooked down the syrup. Exquisite partner for a 49 year old sauternes--life should be so good.

Jenny Bailey6 years ago

Poached Granny Smith apples and pears with this recipe as base for a fruit crumble. Delicious! Just a note if poaching a mixture of fruit keep a close eye on the process my pears were ready well ahead of the apples.

Jenny Bailey6 years ago

Tasty6 years ago

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