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Chai Poached Pears

This is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving dinner. It can be made days ahead, doesn't require any oven space and is decadent with flavor, but light enough to follow your Thanksgiving feast. The poaching liquid is homemade chai; a blend of sweet spices and black tea. A drizzle of chocolate ganache gussies up the dessert and makes it look like something you fussed over, even though this is one of the easiest desserts to create. No one needs to know that! Be sure to pick firm, unripe pears for poaching. The harder the pear, the longer it will take to poach, which means it has more time to soak up the flavors of the chai. Slow poaching is the key to great flavor.

Recipe courtesy Zoe Francois

Photo: Chai Poached Pears

TOTAL TIME: 2 hr 15 min
Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: 45 min
Cook: 1 hr 10 min
 
YIELD: 8 to 10 servings
LEVEL: Easy

ingredients

POACHED PEARS:
  • 3 whole star anise
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced into 1/8-inch coins
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 8 to 10 small firm pears
    GANACHE:
    • 3/4 cup heavy cream
    • 6 ounces chocolate, finely chopped
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    Directions

    In a large pot, combine the water, tea, and spices, bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes. Cover the pot, turn off the heat and let the chai steep for at least 30 minutes, or you can leave it overnight. The longer you leave the tea to steep, the stronger the flavor will be. Strain the liquid and discard the tea and spices. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer.

    Peel and core the pears.

    Add them to the poaching liquid and bring to a gentle simmer.

    Slowly poach the pears, turning them on occasion to make sure all sides are equally cooked. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how low the heat and how firm your pears.

    To check for doneness, stick a skewer in the bottom of the pear, through the thickest part of the fruit. It should go into the flesh easily. If the pears are not the same size, you may need to take the smaller ones out before the larger ones.

    Set them to drain and cool on a piece of parchment or wax paper. If you are not serving right away, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

    Once the pears are removed continue simmering the liquid until it is the consistency of thin maple syrup. This can be drizzled on the plate when you serve the pears, or poured over pancakes.

    For the ganache: When you are ready to serve the pears, heat the heavy cream in a small pot, until simmering. Remove from heat and add the chocolate and butter. Let them sit for 2 minutes then gently whisk them together. Let the mixture sit until it is cool enough to cling to the pears. Spoon the ganche over the pears.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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