Chai-poached Pears with Mascarpone Chantilly

Poached pears have continually been one of my favorite desserts for years. They take relatively low effort to make, are very elegant on the table, and bursting with any flavors you decide to plump them with from the poaching liquid. Subtly sweet, they welcome flavor into their soft, porous fruit, a perfect diving board for chef or home-cook alike. Whether preparing one hundred servings or two, the recipe is easy to scale up or down, yielding reliable results each time. I could go on, but the point is, if you haven’t given poached pears a try, this is the season and year to start.

Serves: 4
Ingredients

• 3 bags high-quality chai tea, no artificial flavoring
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/3 cup honey OR 1/3 cup date syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split OR 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
• 1 cup Vermouth, sweet Sherry, or Port
• Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cardamom pods
• 2 ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled and halved (stems left ON)

Spiced Mascarpone Chantilly 

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 oz mascarpone, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ground cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, salt to taste
• Raw pistachios
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Freshly grated nutmeg, optional

Instructions

Place the chai tea bags into a medium pot and pour the boiling water over the top. Let the bags steep for 8-10 minutes. Remove the tea bags, squeezing them to release as much liquid as possible. Stir in the honey, salt, and vanilla bean.  Add the pears and liquor of choice. If needed, add more water so pears are just covered, then bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until the pears are tender. Remove pears with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

Bring the poaching liquid to a rolling boil. Let boil until syrupy, about 20-30 minutes.

To make the spiced Chantilly,  pour the heavy cream in a mixing bowl, and whisk until soft peaks form. Add the spices and whip to firm peaks. Wisk the honey into the mascarpone and fold into the whipped cream. 

Chop pistachios and toast in butter and salt until aromatic and slightly browned. 

Place mascarpone cream on one side of a shallow dish or bowl. Lay the pears in the center, and spoon some of the warm poaching syrup over the pears, pooling on the other side of the bowl. Sprinkle with pistachios and a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg if desired. Serve immediately.

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Poached pears do well reheated. Simply place cut-side down in a skillet with a little water and spoonful of the reduction syrup. Cover, and warm through on medium low, about 7 minutes.