Poached Pears in Saffron Syrup and Chocolate Sauce

Pears, apples, plums, cranberries bring Autumn to life ... literally with their colour and flavours. I love pears as they remind me so much of my happy childhood days spent in Ooty during summer holidays. My paternal grandparents lived in Ooty for a long time. It was a beautiful place and they had a warm welcoming home, a small garden with all flowering plants and fruit bearing trees. They even had a couple of jersey cows which was milked everyday ... fresh milk tastes the best..:)

Of all the trees, peaches and pears were my favourite. Pears are wonderful to be eaten as they are or to make desserts or bake them into tray bakes, cakes or muffins. They are naturally sweet with a crunchy texture and loads of fiber and vitamins.

Our neighbour happens to have a pear tree which bore abundant fruit and some of them were given to us. I thought of making a cake or a muffin but then decided on this recipe simply because it is very simple.

The cooking process itself is very easy and ingredients are all common household items. The syrup is flavoured with warming spices whose aroma fills the entire house with a gentle pleasing smell and uplifts the tired spirits. Saffron gives the pears a wonderful yellow blush which is so lovely to look at.

Chocolate sauce gives that tiny touch of indulgence without spoiling the flavour of the fruit.

You can serve the pears without the chocolate sauce with some plain whipped cream on the side or caramel sauce or just a dusting of icing sugar.... the choice is yours. It makes a wonderful dessert either to feed a group of 10 or just as an individual treat after a warming home cooked meal.... all you need to do is increase or decrease the number of pears that are poached.

Even better, the pears can be prepared in the morning and can be served in the evening either cold or warm [reheated for a couple of minutes].

Poached pears
Firm ripe pears: 4.
Caster sugar: 3 tbsp.
Water: 200 ml.
Cinnamon stick [1 inch piece]: 2.
Cloves: 3.
Fresh ginger: 1 inch piece.
Cardamom pods: 2.
Saffron: a small pinch.

1.Chop the ginger into fine slices.
2.In a deep sauce pan bring the water along with the ginger, spices and saffron to a gentle simmer.
3.Peel the pears leaving the stalk intact. Cut the base of the pears so that they can sit comfortably.
4.Add the sugar to the simmering water and stir to dissolve. Let it gently bubble for 3-4 minutes.
5.Once the sugar is fully dissolved, place the pears in the sugar syrup, cover and simmer gently for about 6-8 minutes.
6. Open the lid. Lay the pears on their sides and simmer for a couple of minutes. Turn them around gently a couple of times and simmer for a couple of minutes more.
7.Once the syrup is slightly thickened put off the flame and cover the pan with the lid.
8.Let the entire content rest for 45 minutes undisturbed.

Serve on small individual shallow plates along with a drizzle of syrup and chocolate sauce.

Chocolate sauce:
Dark chocolate chips: a handful.
Butter: 1 tsp.

1.Melt the chocolate by double boiler method or in microwave high for a couple of minutes giving it a stir every 20 seconds.
2.Once completely melted, add the butter and stir well.

Keep warm until serving time. When serving the poached pears, pour a tbsp of this sauce on each pear. Leave the rest of the sauce in a small cup at the table for the guests to help themselves for some more sauce.

Note: The pears should be ripe but not very soft and soggy. Select long ones as they absorb the syrup flavours more than the stouter varieties. The pan in which the pears are poached should be deep enough to hold the pears upright without crushing them. You can make it the night before and keep them in the refrigerator in the pan along with the syrup. Just reheat on the stove to warm them.

Linking this to Midweek Fiesta by Amy.... Please do check it out and join the gang..:)

 Julie's Christmas Delicacy

Radhika's Winter Carnival , Kalyani's 100 Day Global Food Festival , "Healing Food- Vegetarian Thanksgiving" , by Siri  guest hosted by Sreelu , Vatsala's Potluck Party .

Enjoy.....


Scribbled by Reva