Poached Pears with Blueberry and Chocolate
Hello food lovers! Today, I will be re-creating a stunning dessert that I had recently, poached pears with blueberry compote and chocolate ganache. (See image below.)
This dish was served to me at the Limelight/DAOU wine-tasting dinner and seemed to utilize some rather simple ingredients and techniques but it did so in an elegant and delicious way. I will attempt to employ my knowledge and know-how to make this dish as best as possible.
This dessert isn’t going to be super fancy, but it will come out as a balanced, great-tasting dessert that happens to be gluten-free as well.
I see no need for a long introduction, so let’s jump right into it!
Poached Pears with Blueberry and Chocolate
Serves 2
For the Poached Pears:
1 quart of water
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 firm pears (Barlett, Bosc, or Asian)
For the Blueberry Compote:
1 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of water
For the Chocolate Ganache:
3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 ounces of heavy cream
Chopped pecans, for garnish
Fresh mint sprig, for garnish (optional)
Step 1: Prepare and Poach the Pears
In a tall saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid reaches a simmer.
Peel the pears and cut a little bit off the bottom to create a flat surface to help keep the pears upright when plating. Gently lower the pears into the hot sugar syrup. Partially cover the pot with either foil or a lid, then maintain a gentle simmer until the pears are soft but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes. Allow the pears to cool in their liquid.
Step 2: Make the Blueberry Compote
Tip the blueberries into a small saucepan along with the sugar, lemon juice, and water.
Heat the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the blueberries have exploded and the liquid has thickened to a jam-like consistency. Set aside and allow it to cool.
Step 3: Make the Ganache
Combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute, or until the cream is very hot.
Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes, then stir until the chocolate is fully melted and combined. The chocolate is meant to be served warm so you can pour it onto your pears so you will want to do this at the last minute. Although placing the bowl with the ganache into a separate bowl of hot water will help keep it warm if you’re running behind on time.
Step 4: Plate and serve
Cut each pear lengthwise into 5-6 even slices. Fan out the pear slices a little bit as well.
Pour some of the blueberry compote onto the bottom of a small plate, top with the sliced pears, sprinkle pecans around the pear, then, if you want to, place a mint sprig next to the pear. Serve with the ganache. (I will point out that allowing your guests to pour the ganache onto their dessert themselves is quite fun for them.)
Now, looking at the dessert I made compared to the dessert that was initially served to me, I’d say it’s about as close to the original as I could get.
The pears were soft enough that I could cut into them easily but could still hold their shape on the plate, the compote brought a nice fruitiness and acidity, and that rich chocolate was perfect for rounding out the whole dish. I will say that my ganache was a bit thicker than I would’ve liked; I wanted it to be more of a drizzling consistency; some more heavy cream probably would’ve fixed that, but other than that, it was excellent.
I can see myself serving this dessert as maybe a Valentine’s Day dessert or date night dessert or serving it to anyone who I want to make feel special.
