Tamarind Poached Pears With Pear Cream

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The weather is starting to get chilly, even here in Florida, and I am in the mood for something warm, comforting, sweet, and easy to make. Poached pears are one of my favorite fall desserts. I love pears, and this is the easiest way to cook them. I really like that you can poach them in so many liquids: you can use wine or tea, or get creative with your poaching liquid and try something new. So last night I decided to experiment a bit and came up with this tamarind poached pear recipe.

tamarind poached pears recipe
Tamarind poached pear recipe

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I love tamarind, a brown, pod-like, tangy fruit that is common in Latin American and Asian cuisines. I cook with tamarind whenever I have the chance because its mouth-puckering and fragrant flavor takes me back to my childhood.  As a kid growing up in Guatemala, I would sprinkle salt on the tamarind and eat it straight from the pod, and my favorite cool treat was tamarind sorbet (a little like lemon sorbet).

tamarind poached pears
Tamarind poached pears

I had some tamarind concentrate in the house, and when I saw the USA pears I had bought were ripe, I thought it would be a great idea to poach them in tamarind. I have to tell you I am very pleased with the result.  The pears really complemented the sweet tanginess of the tamarind syrup, and to balance the flavors, I made a pear cream to accompany them.

When poaching pears, they don’t need to be perfectly ripe; underripe pears are ideal. Pick firm pears; I used Bosc pears, but you can also use Anjou or Bartlett pears.  I checked out the USA Pears website, which offers great advice on how to tell if a pear is ripe. Apply gentle pressure to the neck or stem end of the pear with your thumb; if it yields, it’s ripe and ready to eat!  If the pears are not ripe enough, leave them at room temperature so that they will ripen.

tamarind poached pears
Poached pears with tamarind

So why not poach some pears in your favorite liquid? Infuse your poached pear with creativity by experimenting with tea, bourbon, coconut milk, beer, coffee, or myriad other poaching liquids. Poached pears are not only easy to make, but they also look beautiful and make a great dessert for entertaining now that the holidays are almost here!

tamarind poached pears

Tamarind Poached Pears With Pear Cream

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Firm pears poached in a tamarind syrup and served with a smooth honey pear cream.

5.0 Stars (4 Reviews)

Ingredients

For Tamarind Poached Pears

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup tamarind concentrate (½ cup for poaching, ¼ cup for the syrup)
  • 4 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 6 firm Bosc pears

For Pear Cream

  • 2 pears, peeled and cored
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 5 teaspoons cold water
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

  1. Heat the water in a large saucepan and stir in the sugar until dissolved.
  2. Add ½ cup of the tamarind concentrate, the vanilla, and the lemon juice.
  3. Peel the pears, leaving the stems on, and add them to the pan.
  4. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the pears are tender.
  5. While the pears poach, start the pear cream. Peel, core, and dice the 2 pears.
  6. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saucepan. When it bubbles, add the diced pears and honey. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
  7. Add the water, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  8. Remove from the heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cold diced butter, and stir until it dissolves.
  9. Blend until smooth. Once completely cold, whisk in the Greek yogurt and refrigerate.
  10. Remove the poached pears from the liquid. Reserve 1 cup of the poaching liquid and discard the rest.
  11. Add the remaining ¼ cup tamarind concentrate to the reserved liquid and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until it reaches the syrup consistency you want.
  12. To serve, drizzle the poached pears with the tamarind syrup and add 2 tablespoons of pear cream on the side.

Notes

You can find tamarind concentrate in most Latino or Mexican markets. You can also replace the tamarind concentrate with tamarind paste or pulp. If you use pulp, you may need more sugar.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 25mgCarbohydrates: 79gFiber: 12gSugar: 59gProtein: 4g

Nutritional values are estimates calculated using standard databases. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients and brands used.

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© Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz
Cuisine: Latin American / Category: Dessert
Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz
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