Gin and honey poached pears make a delicious dessert that is sure to impress your guests with its elegant presentation and delicate flavors. This single-serve dish combines the sweetness of ripe pears with aromatic spiced gin, resulting in a delicate and fragrant Fall dessert. With minimal hands-on prep involved, this easy recipe can be made on the day or ahead of time.
Sponsored post thanks to Moksha gin.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy, single-serve dessert
- Meal-prep friendly
- Refined sugar-free recipe
- It makes your house smell amazing
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Ingredients
- Pears – Ripe Beurre Bosc or Peckham pears are perfect for poaching, just make sure they are not too soft.
- Gin – Spiced gin is a perfect match for juicy pears. You can omit it for an alcohol-free version.
- Honey – Mild, runny honey works best for this recipe. You can also substitute it with sugar including brown sugar, or maple syrup.
- Spices – Ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla add extra flavor, warmth, and depth to this recipe. They complement the cardamom gin nicely.
Poached pears in 5 easy steps
- Peel the pears leaving the stalks intact.
- Prepare the poaching liquid by combining all ingredients. Bring everything up to a simmer.
- Poach the pears for 40-60 minutes until tender. Remove the pears and spices.
- Reduce the poaching liquid down to a syrup by boiling it for 30 minutes. Add another shot of Moksha gin.
- Add the poached pears back into the syrup until serving.
Tips
- Leave the lid on the saucepan while poaching the pears to avoid liquid evaporating too quickly.
- Remove pears with a ladle to prevent them from getting damaged.
- Reduce the liquid to a syrup by boiling it vigorously without the lid on the saucepan but keep an eye on it to prevent it from burning.
Variations
Swap fruit: Use apples or stonefruit such as plums, peaches, and apricots instead of pears for a twist on this warming recipe.
Spice it up: Add other warming spices such as cloves, nutmeg, or star anise.
Serve with vanilla ice cream, mascarpone cream, or whipped cream instead of Greek yogurt.
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FAQ
You don’t have to peel pears before poaching. The skin can add color and flavor to the poached pears, and it also provides additional texture.
Pears that are slightly underripe, but not too hard, are generally the best choice for poaching. The ideal ripeness for poaching pears is when they are just starting to soften and have a slight give when pressed.
Recipe
Gin and Honey Poached Pears
Ingredients
- 4 pears
- 1/4 cup gin
- 4 cups water filtered
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp ginger peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1 shot gin
Side & Garnish
- 8 tbsp vanilla Greek yogurt
- 4 gingersnap cookies crushed
Instructions
- Peel 4 pears but leave the stalks intact. Slice a little off the base of each pear so they sit flat on the plate later on.4 pears
- Combine 1/4 cup gin, 4 cups water, 1/4 cup honey, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tsp vanilla paste in a heavy-based saucepan. Bring everything to a simmer and add the pears with a ladle.1/4 cup gin, 4 cups water, 1/4 cup honey, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tsp vanilla paste
- Poach the pears gently for 40 minutes with a lid on the saucepan. You're after a low and slow simmer. Turn the fruit every 10 minutes while spooning the poaching liquid over the pears. Poach the pears until they're tender all the way through when pierced with a knife or toothpick. The cooking time will depend on the type of pears you're poaching.
- Once fully poached, remove the pears as well as the spices from the saucepan. Boil the liquid for 30 minutes without the lid to reduce it by about half, until thick you're left with a syrup. Let it cool down slightly and add 1 shot gin.1 shot gin
- To serve the gin-poached pears, add 2 tablespoons of the Greek vanilla yogurt to a plate. Place a poached pear on top and add a generous serving of the gin-infused syrup. Garnish with crushed gingersnaps and enjoy!8 tbsp vanilla Greek yogurt, 4 gingersnap cookies