Pears are notoriously difficult to store. Trying to catch them when they're perfectly ripe is probably one of the reasons why they're not as popular as they should be. They're either too hard or too ripe. But one of the ways around this problem is to cook them.
I chose conference pears for this recipe but you can use any variety, just ensure that they are ripe AND still firm. I made these to eat straight away but if you leave them in the liquid overnight the colour will be much deeper and richer. The ones below were left for 24 hours.
Poached Pears with a Raspberry Reduction GF SCD
4 - 6 pears
400 g frozen or fresh raspberries
1½ pints filtered water
2 tblsps honey (or other liquid sweetener)
½ - 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 split vanilla pod
Tip the raspberries into a pan. Peel the pears carefully.
Place in a pan on top of the raspberries then add just enough filtered water to cover them.
Add 1 tablespoon of honey or other liquid sweetener, bring to the boil then simmer very gently for about fifteen to thirty minutes depending on the size of the pears. Test to see if they are soft by inserting a sharp knife carefully into the pear. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the pears from the pan. They will be pink. If you want them to be a richer colour just let the pears cool in the pan, then chill overnight. This will intensify the colour and flavour as in the picture above.
Strain the raspberries then pour the liquid into a clean pan. Add the sliced vanilla pod or the vanilla extract and another tablespoon of honey (or chosen sweetener) to the pan. Bring to the boil and reduce the liquid by at least half to thicken it. I used just over half a teaspoon of vanilla extract but taste the sauce and add a little more vanilla extract and/or sweetener if you wish.
Remove the vanilla pod if you used one then pour the sauce over the pears.
