Poached Pears with Coconut Whipped Cream
Region: Italy
Category: Desserts
Season: Fall
Difficulty: Medium Difficulty

This is delightful fall dessert where pears--I used Barlett in the photo--are boiled in a mixture of white wine, orange juice with a bit of brandy and sugar.  Arrange them on a platter and spoon the coconut whipped cream in the center and garnish everything including the plate with ground cinnamon and coconut flakes.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 8 small servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

1 cup white Rhine wine

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon brandy

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean or 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar

4 ripe pears, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds scooped out

3 tablespoons sweetened coconut flakes

3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Coconut flakes for sprinkling

Ground cinnamon for sprinkling

1. In a saucepan, bring the white wine, orange juice, brandy, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, and sugar to a boil over high heat.  Add the pears and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes for ripe pears (about 15 to 25 minutes for hard unripe pears).  Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve, covering with aluminum foil to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, whip the coconut, brandy, whipping cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla until it forms peaks.  Spoon the whipped cream into the hollow of the pears.  Sprinkle with coconut flakes and cinnamon and serve.

Variation: 

Note: 

Posted: 12/13/2006