Poached Fruit Flambe Recipes

EASY POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine lemon zest, cinnamon stick, allspice, ground pepper, apple cider, and water.
• Add pears. Cover with waxed paper to prevent discoloring. Bring to a simmer. Cook, turning pears occasionally, until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Remove pears from liquid; transfer to large bowl.
• Raise heat to high; boil cider mixture until reduced to a syrup, about 15 minutes. Discard cinnamon. Pour syrup over pears; refrigerate. To serve, slice off a sliver from the bottom of each pear (so it stands upright). Serve pears with lemon sorbet, if desired.

PERFECT POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place the vin santo, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla bean, and zests in a large, shallow saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact, and scoop out the seeds from the bottom with an apple corer or melon baller. Lay half the pears on their sides in the poaching liquid and simmer for 20 minutes, carefully turning the pears once with a spoon. Remove with a slotted spoon. Poach the remaining pears in the same liquid. Snip off the hard stems from the figs with scissors. Add the figs, apricots, prunes, and the first batch of poached pears and simmer 5 to 10 more minutes, until the pears and the dried fruit are all tender.
• Chill the pears, dried fruit, zests, and poaching liquid. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla bean before serving if you like.

FLAMBEED VANILLA-POACHED PEARS WITH APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, and vanilla extract to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add 3 or 4 pear halves, reduce heat to medium, and simmer gently until the pears have just turned tender, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked pears to a warm chafing dish or metal serving dish, and continue to cook the remaining pears.
• Increase heat to medium-high, and boil the syrup until it has reduced to 1 cup. Stir in apricot preserves and return to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and stir into the simmering syrup. Cook and stir until thickened and clear, about 30 seconds.
• To serve, pour the hot sauce over the pears, and sprinkle with the rum. Carefully ignite the rum tableside with the lights turned low. Let the alcohol burn out before serving.

SAFFRON-POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• Peel the pears, leaving the stalk intact. Crush the cardamom pods.
• Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan with 1 litre of water, bring to a simmer and gently poach the pears for about 2 hours or until tender. Remove from the heat, allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight to steep.
• Before serving, remove the pears and set aside to bring to room temperature.
• Boil the syrup until reduced to a sticky glaze, about 250ml. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of saffron glaze over the pears, then serve with ice cream or cream.

FRESH FRUITS FLAMBE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a flambe pan.
• Add sugar and stir over medium heat until the mixture begins to caramelize.
• Add the orange and pineapple juice and bring to a boil.
• Add the pieces of fruit and stir to blend well with the caramel.
• Pour in the Maraskina, Grand Marnier and Cognac and flame.
• Allow the liquid to thicken slightly, but do not overcook the fruit.

POACHED FRUIT FLAMBE

Steps:

• Place tea in a 3-quart saucepan. Add cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice, lemon juice and honey. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Add cherries and prunes. Cut stems off figs and add. Cook at a very slow simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside 30 minutes or longer.
• To serve, divide ice cream among six bowls. Return fruit to a simmer and transfer all the fruit and sauce from the saucepan to a shallow serving dish.
• Pour the Scotch into the saucepan and heat briefly over low heat until warmed. Light a match, grab it with an oven mitt, stand back and ignite the Scotch. Pour flaming Scotch from saucepan over the fruit in the bowl; immediately spoon it over the ice cream.

POACHED PEARS WITH VANILLA AND CINNAMON

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients except the pears in a stainless steel saucepan, do not turn on the heat. Peel the pears, add them to the pan once they are peeled, then place them onto the stove and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook the pears carefully. Once cooked, remove the pan from the heat and allow the pears to cool in the sugar syrup. To check if they are cooked, take a paring knife and push it into the middle of the fruit. If the pears feel soft, they are cooked. They can be served hot or cold.