MAPLE POACHED PEARS WITH MAPLE CINNAMON MASCARPONE — Fresh pears are poached in a maple and honey infused liquid, then filled with a sweetened maple cinnamon mascarpone. The perfect fall or winter dessert!
Pears are one of my favorite fall fruits. I love their sweet, mild flavor, and there are so many pretty colors, sizes and varieties available.
Not only are pears a great snack, they’re a great addition to your favorite salads, and are perfect for fall desserts like these Maple Poached Pears with Maple Cinnamon Mascarpone.
For everyday eating, ripe, juicy pears are best. When testing a pear’s ripeness, you should apply gentle pressure to the narrow “neck” of the pear with your thumb.
If it yields to pressure, it’s ripe. However, slightly under-ripe pears are best for poaching, and poached pears are one of those easy yet elegant desserts that are sure to impress your family and friends.
To poach pears, you simply peel and core them, and then simmer them in liquid until they’re tender. Traditionally, pears are poached in a wine and sugar mixture, but there is plenty of room for creativity when it comes to this classic pear dessert.
You can even use things like coconut milk! For this recipe I poached my pears in water and maple syrup and infused my liquid with cinnamon, cloves and vanilla.
Whether you leave the pears whole or cut them in half is really a matter of personal preference. I usually cut mine in half because I like to add toppings like ice cream, whipped cream, or in this case, a delicious maple and cinnamon mascarpone cream.
But a whole poached pear standing on a plate is the ultimate in dessert presentation. That’s the great thing about poached pears–besides being simple to make, their are so many ways to prepare them.
I topped these pears with a prepared, salted caramel sauce, but reducing your poaching liquid is also a great way to create a delicious sauce or glaze for your pears.
If you’ve never tried making poached pears, why not give it a try this season? You can find more ideas for poached pears, plus other tasty pear recipes at www.usapears.org.
Be sure to save this recipe for Maple Poached Pears with Maple Cinnamon Mascarpone to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Maple Poached Pears with Maple Cinnamon Mascarpone
- Pears
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Vanilla
- Spices: cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, ground cinnamon
- Mascarpone cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Caramel sauce
Maple Poached Pears with Maple Cinnamon Mascarpone
Ingredients
- 3 firm pears peeled, halved and cored
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Caramel sauce for drizzling
Instructions
- In a large saucepan combine water, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, cinnamon sticks and cloves.
- Add pears and bring to simmer. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, turning pears once half-way through cooking, until pears are just tender when pierced with a fork.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a 9-inch baking dish. Pour poaching liquid over top. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
- Meanwhile, mix mascarpone cheese with powdered sugar until smooth. Gradually add maple syrup until mascarpone reaches desired flavor and consistency. Stir in cinnamon.
- Chill mascarpone until ready to use, returning it to room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove pears from poaching liquid and arrange one or two pears on individual serving plates, cut side up.
- Place a generous dollop of the maple mascarpone in the center of each pear. Drizzle with caramel sauce and serve.
Video
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If you love this recipe, you might also like:
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Slow Cooker Apple Cobbler
Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler
Who Dished It Up First: This is an original recipe.
4 comments
Denise
I made this recipe, WOW I don’t eat dessert often but this was fantastic. Plus the poaching made my house smell so good.
Loved it!!
Rachel Ousley
Is this served warm or cold?
Judy
The recipe implies it is served cold which I did. I am making it for a second time and I will warm the pears and the sauce but keep the mascarpone cream cold. The recipe is delicious!
Joanne
Hi Danelle – My hubby and I love pears, so I will try this recipe. It looks very good!