Simmered and infused with our hand-crafted Dragonfruit Desire herbal tea and a splash of our Butterfly Pea Flowers for a pop color, create these perfectly ‘peary’ delicacies that are a mouth-watering welcome!
How to Make Tea-Poached Pears
One may think (I used to) that creating a batch of perfectly poached anything was a daunting task. I promise you—this is not the case. These tea-poached pears are actually simple, yet extravagant.
If you didn’t know, the possibilities of fruit to poach are nearly endless. Common choices are, of course, pears, but also peaches and apples. Simply put, nearly any firm fruit with its naturally occurring juices is an ideal candidate.
A key tip if you know you’ll be poaching your fruit is to look for very firm fruit, as the process of poaching will soften them. If you start with fruit that’s too soft, your fruit will only fall apart when you poach them.
The other key aspect of poaching involves choosing your liquid flavor. As you know, we went with our Dragonfruit Desire herbal tea and our Butterfly Pea Flowers which is a beautiful and lively concoction of fruity pieces such as mango, apple, and strawberry.
The butterfly pea flowers add beautiful blues and purples that dance together in harmony. The result is a sweetly balanced pear-fect tea-poached pear.
When prepping your pears, a great way to ensure they don’t oxidize (turn brown from being exposed to air) is to place them into a bowl of lemon-infused water. This is the perfect little ratio to keep your pears oh-so-fresh and allow the full color of the tea to transform your dessert.
Remember, there are endless options, so be creative! Another suggestion: top with some whipped cream or serve with a small side of heavy cream.
We’ve decided to infuse some homemade whipped cream with a little vanilla and orange extract to create a creamy dreamsicle pop of flavor, as well as create a syrup reduction from the leftover tea liquid to drizzle on top.
This duo compliments these poached pears like no other! Oh my my!
Perfectly Peary Pairings
Looking for some inspiration on what other teas to poach your pears in? Stargazer Caramel Mate Chai would be star-mazing! Try poaching the pears with some added cinnamon sticks and a vanilla bean.
To serve alongside, try some heavy cream drizzled with caramel. Perhaps even a salty caramel to balance with the sweet? My mouth is watering!
Out of the box idea—poaching your pears in our Just Hibiscus herbal tea will leave your pears a pink color that is candy for the eyes! I recommend a fresh curdled cream with some homemade vanilla simple syrup for serving alongside.
Curdled cream not your jam? Try some lavender whipped cream, or even vanilla whipped cream with a homemade lime simple syrup. Truly, the sky is the limit on creativity!
Dragonfruit Desire Tea-Poached Pears Recipe
Tea-Poached Pears Ingredients:
- 4 Bosc Pears, peeled
- 4 cups water
- 4 tablespoons Dragonfruit Desire herbal tea
- 1 tablespoon Butterfly Pea Flowers
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 navel orange, quartered
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Directions:
Make sure your mixing bowl is free from any residue by using a small amount of vinegar and wiping your bowl clean. Chill your mixing bowl for 20 minutes in the freezer.
Attach your whisk attachment to your mixer.
Whip all whipped cream ingredients on medium-high speed until peaks begin to form. This happens around the 3-4 minute mark.
Place whipped cream in the fridge to keep until plating poached pears.
To begin the process of poaching pears, first, add four cups of water to a medium-sized pot on the stove.
Heat on high until just before boiling.
Add your Dragonfruit Desire herbal tea and Butterfly Pea Flowers.
Let steep for 5 minutes, strain, and return liquid to the stove.
While tea is steeping, carefully peel your pears, leaving stems intact and following their natural shape (I use a peeler).
When finished peeling, ensure they will stand on end. If not, gently cut the bottoms a little to allow it to stand on its own.
Gently place your peeled pears in the lemon-infused water.
Bring your tea back to a low boil and add your sugar. Stir until dissolved.
Once fully dissolved, gently transfer pears, using a slotted spoon, to poaching liquid.
The liquid must fully cover the pears, so if you’re a little short, simply add a little extra water to ensure they’re covered.
Add your orange slices.
Use a small cover (smaller than your pot) to place on top of the pears so they stay immersed while cooking.
Poach pears in a gentle rolling boil for approximately 20-30 minutes. They are done when you can gently poke with a paring knife and the pears offer little to no resistance. *Tip—if you chose firmer pears, you may have to boil for longer. I ended up boiling mine for 40 minutes.
Remove pears from heat and liquid and set upright on a plate to cool.
Discard about half of your poaching liquid and return your pot to the stove.
To reduce this liquid and make a light syrupy sauce to complement these pears, cook liquid, uncovered, over medium-high heat until it reduces by about half.
You may serve pears warm or cold. Store in the fridge if not serving right away.
To plate your dessert, place your poached pear with a dollop of whipped cream alongside, and drizzle the tea syrup reduction over-top.
Enjoy your slice of heaven!
