Dessert & Sweets/ Gluten-Free/ Kid Approved

Poached Pears with Fresh Ricotta

Poached Pears and Ricotta

This stunning dessert is both simple and elegant. It is the perfect way to finish a fabulous meal!

Origin Story…

The first time I had poached pears with fresh ricotta was during a cheese making class that I took with my mother at The Farm Cooking School. I literally moaned my way through eating it; it was so good! What a fun class! We learned how to make 4 different cheeses then sat down to a feast made with our cheeses. Spiced carrots over lentils with creme fraîche, kale salad with goat cheese, wild mushrooms and mozzarella… and poached pears with fresh ricotta. This was the star for me; the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Simple and rustic dessert…

The fragrant poached pears were grounded by the creamy and slightly sweet/salty ricotta in this effortlessly elegant dessert. I recommend serving the pears warm and the ricotta at-almost-room temperature. The flavors and textures are gorgeous and sure to please your guests. I poached my pears in a lovely Italian moscato and simple syrup with honey, cloves, ginger, and star anise. Feel free to substitute your favorite spice like, vanilla beans, cinnamon, or saffron. You cannot go wrong with any of these combinations.

Make your own ricotta…

You can certainly buy ricotta for this dessert but making your own is easy and so worth it! See my recipe for fresh ricotta that will blow your foodie friends away. You can even create a more complex flavor by using sheep or goat’s milk for your ricotta. This simple process really sets this dessert apart.

I hope you enjoy and share this wonderful show stopper with those you cherish the most.

Poached Pears and Ricotta
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Poached Pears with Fresh Ricotta

Print Recipe
Serves: 4-6 Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle of moscato or other sweet dessert wine, 750 ml
  • 2 cups simple syrup (2 cups water + 2 cups sugar)
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 star anise
  • 1 tbsp cloves
  • 1 inch rhizome ginger, peeled and sliced thin
  • 6 firm, ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cut into quarters

Instructions

1

To make simple syrup: combine water and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

2

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

4

To poach pears: In large saucepan, combine wine, simple syrup, honey, star anise, cloves, and ginger. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

5

Add pears and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until pears are tender.

6

Remove pears from liquid and allow to cool a bit.

7

Continue to simmer remaining liquid for about 15-20 minutes, until it has thickened and reduced by half.

8

Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.

9

Remove spices and discard.

10

To serve, place pears on plate, a scoop of ricotta, and drizzle with syrup. Serve warm.

Notes

See ricotta recipe in post.

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5 Comments

  • Reply
    Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
    March 21, 2019 at 8:32 am

    How delicious does this sound!? I love the idea of this combination, and look forward to trying it VERY soon!

  • Reply
    Chloe Daniels | Clo Bare
    March 21, 2019 at 1:08 pm

    This looks so good! I’ve never made my own ricotta before, but this sounds relatively easy to do!

    • Reply
      egrant.salvi
      March 21, 2019 at 9:34 pm

      It really is surprisingly easy and so worth it. Hope you have a chance to make it! Thanks so much for the comment!

  • Reply
    Melissa @ Beauty in the Crumbs
    June 26, 2019 at 2:52 pm

    This looks absolutely delicious! My kids are huge fruit fiends. This will be a great dessert to add to the rotation!

    • Reply
      egrant.salvi
      July 4, 2019 at 2:15 pm

      I hope your kiddos enjoy it! Mine absolutely LOVE it! Perfect in the fall 🙂

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