Poached Pears with Vanilla Custard Sauce
Flavorful poached pears make for a pretty dessert alongside a homemade custard sauce.
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Recipe Summary
This fall, we're shining a light on one of the most underrated fall fruits: Pears. Apples have historically gotten all of the attention, but these fall fruits are just as sweet. The perfect way to enjoy nature's fruit, these Poached Pears with Vanilla Custard Sauce make a beautiful harvest dessert.
Hibiscus tea bags and cranberries bring a stunning magenta hue to these poached pears, while a cinnamon stick warms everything up. Sweet with a nice balance of sour, the pears turn a beautiful red color overnight. Storing these in a vessel big enough where they have room around each other is key—it allows them to evenly absorb color (the pears touching will leave you with white spots). This recipe calls for Bosc pears. A firm, honey-sweet pick, it's good for baking and poaching. Press near the stem end of fruit to check it for ripeness. Blotting the pears gently before pouring the custard sauce helps the custard sauce to adhere to the fruit.
Once you've made these poached pears, the possibilities are endless. They would be great served as an elegant dessert alongside the creamy vanilla custard, but sliced and served with Greek yogurt, granola, and a drizzle of honey, they could just as easily work as a festive fall breakfast. You could even use these poached pears in a pretty purple tart.