Poached pears are great as an appetizer or dessert.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 bottle (1 1/2 cups) Port Wine
- 1 lemon
- 1 navel orange, quartered
- 3/4 cup maple sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split, or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
- 4 small ripe pears (any variety), peeled
In a small saucepan, off the heat, combine the wine, the juice from the lemon and orange, 1 of the squeezed orange quarters, the maple sugar, vanilla, cinnamon stick, and star anise.
Add the pears and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, turning the pears occasionally, until they're easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to individual plates.
Remove and discard the orange quarter and spices. Return the liquid to a simmer and cook until syrupy and reduced by two-thirds, about 15 minutes, depending on size of pan. Spoon the sauce over the pears.
Keene's Top Chef Competition - November 16, 2017
Gianluca Paris is the Executive Chef and owner of Luca’s Mediterranean Café, a fine dining restaurant, The Market at Luca’s, offering light bistro style fare and gourmet take out and Luca's Culinary Journey Catering in Keene, New Hampshire, where he lives with his wife Lindy and his two children. He is the recipient of many accolades, including “Excellence in Dining” and “Best Service/Wait staff” every year since 2002 from Market Surveys of America, along with “Best Mediterranean Restaurant,” “Best Fine Dining Restaurant,” “Best Caterer in New Hampshire,” and, for four years, “Best Restaurant in the Monadnock Region” from New Hampshire Magazine.