Sticky Pears Anyone ?

Monday Morning Cooking Club Revisits an Old Favourite – Slow Roasted Pears

This is a fabulous do-ahead and dairy-free dessert: Slow-roasted pears. And I promise you they are the best cooked pears you will ever eat! The recipe comes from my friend Judy who got it from a well known Australian chef Marieke Brugman. Marieke used to run an extraordinary weekend-retreat cooking school called ‘Howquadale’ in the stunning Victorian Snowy River horse country (seen ‘The Man from Snowy River’? There!). Judy and I first made this recipe about 20 years ago and it has been one of my favourites ever since.

The texture of these pears is akin to a pear puree, yet the pears amazingly keep their shape. And of course it went straight into our first book, Monday Morning Cooking Club – the food, the stories, the sisterhood because it is just one of those recipes that you know is a keeper.

Sticky Pears Anyone ?

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Sweet Things

Cuisine: International

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup white wine
• 5 dried bay leaves
• 1 Vanilla bean split and scraped
• 6 brown pears (beurre bosc) peeled and left whole

Method

 

1. You will need a saucepan large enough to fit all the pears snugly.
2. Combine all the ingredients, except the pears, in the saucepan and bring to the boil.
3. Add the pears, ensuring they are all submerged. It is useful to cover them with baking paper and place a plate on top that won't squash the pears, but will gently keep them submerged. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
4. Remove the lid and continue to simmer on a low heat for around 3 hours until the juices reduce to a syrupy caramel, basting the pears from time to time.
5. Note: The pears can also be cooked in the oven on 150C/280F for 3 hours after the first hour on the stovetop.
6. Serve with creme fraiche or ice cream.