These easy Stewed Pears are a healthy and versatile dessert to make with pears in Winter. Cooked with Lemon, Oranges, Spices and No Processed Sugar, these fragrant poached pears become super soft and are packed with flavours!
1Orange - Juice + Peelsabout 120 ml (1/2 cup) of juice
1Lemon - Juice + Peelsabout 20 ml (1 tablesp.) of juice
600ml (2 1/2 cups)Watersee note below
60ml (1/4 cup)Maple Syrup
2Cinnamon Sticks
3Star Anise Pods
4Pears
Instructions
Roughly peel the Orange and Lemon and place in a medium size saucepan (see note 1). Juice the Orange and Lemon and add to the saucepan.
Add the Water, Maple Syrup, Cinnamon Sticks and Star Anise Pods. Stir to combine and turn on low heat, occasionally stirring.
While the liquid is heating up, peel the Pears, cut in quarters (or halves) and remove the core. Add to the stewing liquid.
Leave to simmer on a low to medium low heat for 15 to 25 minutes (see note 2) or until soft. Remove the Pear slices from the stewing liquid and leave to cool down at room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days once cool (see note 3).
Notes
Yield: this recipe serves 4 (or 8 small portions) but can easily be doubled or tripled if needed.Ingredient Notes:
Pears: I recommend using relatively unripe pears to insure the fruits will hold their shape after stewing. If you use a fruit that is too ripe, it will start to turn into a compote.
Water: you might need more or less water, depending on the size of your saucepan. Make sure that the pears are fully covered by the liquid, adding more water if required.
Spices: I used Cinnamon and Star Anise but you can basically use/add/substitute any spice you'd like!
Maple Syrup: if your pears aren't too ripe or naturally sweet, you might want to increase the maple syrup quantity for a sweeter dessert.
Instruction Notes:
Try to use only the orange/lemon peel without the pith (white part) that contains most of the bitterness of the fruit.
The time it will take for the pears to be ready will depend on the ripeness of the fruits and how soft you want them. Use a small knife to check the pears - if it feels soft, the pears are ready.
The stewing liquid can be used to store the pears in once in the fridge if you want. Otherwise, discard the liquid, peels and spices or leave to reduce on the stove to create a syrup.