Spiced Chai Poached Pears are an elegant, easy dessert for the fall and winter. Firm Bosc pears are poached in diluted sweetened chai concentrate making the prep work for this recipe a breeze.
As the weather has cooled drinking Chai has become a daily treat in our house. We have a single cup coffee machine and make it in a flash with Chai K-cups.
We keep chai concentrate in the fridge and my kids are drinking it iced too.
The bold spices in the sweetened black tea speak to the season and make for a cozy drink next to a fire.
It has gotten my mental wheels turning about what else to do with it. Spiced Chai Poached Pears is a simple new favorite dessert I’m sharing today!
You can use homemade chai too! Try out Baked Pears too.
You’ll note pear season is upon us. All sorts of varieties and hitting the grocery stores now just in time for the holidays. It’s a wonderful fruit to eat raw but also to feature in salads and certainly desserts. A few of my personal favorites are Caramelized Pear Upside Down Cake (such a beautiful presentation and gorgeous flavors) and Seckel Pear Soft Creme Tart. This list of Pear Perfection: 12 Gluten-Free Recipes gives even more recipe ideas!
Poaching pears is not a new idea. Often you’ll see them poached in wine, but Spiced Chai Poached Pears sounded fantastic to me and the result of this easy recipe does not disappoint. At the risk of being the ‘lazy recipe girl’ I use a spiced chai concentrate diluted with water, so your recipe prep work is coring and peeling the pears only.
For a pretty presentation this recipe calls to core the pears from the underside. I use an apple corer and a small paring knife to remove the bottom part of the core and the seeds leaving the stems intact. I have found that the core of some pears come out easily with the apple corer only and others require a bit of help from the paring knife too to ensure all the seeds are removed.
For this recipe I recommend Bosc pears. You’ll recognize them at the store as the tall, slender variety with a rougher brownish skin. They are a firmer variety of pear which works well to hold their beautiful shape through poaching and stand tall on a dessert plate when serving.
Ideally the pears would stay submerged while poaching to cook thoroughly however the pears will bob to the surface of the liquid as they cook. One way to address this is to place a flat saucepan lid (smaller than the diameter of the pot they are cooking in) on top of them to hold them down. It must be flat to not blemish the fruit. Alternatively, the liquid can be ladled on top of the pears periodically as they cook, or you can gently rotate them.
Serving the poached pears with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or ice cream makes an easy fall or winter dessert. They have a faint flavor of Chai without being overwhelming, so the sweet pear flavor comes through!
How to make Spiced Chai Poached Pears:
Recipe
Spiced Chai Poached Pears
Ingredients
- 4 Bosc Pears peeled from the stem down leaving the stems intact
- Apple Corer
- Paring Knife
- 32 ounce box Spiced Chai Concentrate (sweetened)
- 32 ounces Water
Instructions
- Using an apple corer and/or paring knife, core the pears from underneath (aproximately 2/3's into the pear just to remove the seeds). Peel the pears leaving the stems intact (refer to photos).
- In a large saucepan or stock pot, combine the chai concentrate and water and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Place the pears in the liquid; either weight down with a flat-bottomed saucepan lid smaller in diameter than the cooking pot or ladle the liquid over the pears periodically to ensure all surfaces cook.
Kendal says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! My pear tree is covered in blooms and chai is one of my absolute favorites. Can I ask you what china pattern they are plated on? They look exactly like my great grandmothers.
UPDATE: I have registered the pattern on Replacements.com, a china company that has a china database and sells patterns. This is what I have: Pattern Code: H H2959
Description: Theo, Gold Encrusted, Green& Gold Bands
Pattern: H2959 by Haviland
My guess is the pattern number is a Replacements.com number not necessarily the actual Haviland name. If you log on there and use this pattern number you can check what the pattern looks like or email them for information on it (they may know the name; they are very helpful).
Toni Dash says
I would have to look up the pattern name. I CAN tell you this is MY grandmother’s wedding china (now mine; a gift for my wedding) and is made by Haviland. It was a pattern made in the Paris factory for Haviland that burned down after the china was made. I may have registered it on a china website. I’ll leave a message here if I can find the pattern.
KENDAL says
Thank you so much for looking into that for me! I too have my grandmothers china ?
Toni Dash says
Such a special keepsake isn’t it?
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
Looks wonderful!!
Megan says
These look so fancy!
Joyce Brewer says
I love pears. My son gobbled them up when he was younger.
Sarah says
I so want to make this for our Christmas party. This looks like a dessert that would be the hit of any party!