You will find so many ways to enjoy these easily made Stewed Pears. They are sweet and tender, made without refined sugar, and infused with the fragrance and flavour of vanilla, lemon juice and cinnamon. With simple store cupboard ingredients, this is a dessert that you can have ready to serve in less than half an hour.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- This is a great way to enjoy new season’s pears. You will love how quickly the recipe comes together and how little effort is required.
- It is a simple, budget friendly recipe when pears are at the height of the season.
- This is a perfect, easily prepared dessert for a weeknight, but with such delicate flavour it is ideal for entertaining.
- The gentle flavour of pears gives you the perfect opportunity to customise the accompanying flavours to suit your taste.
- Like my Spiced Poached Plums, as the pears stew on the stove, your kitchen will fill with a tantalising spicy aroma.
- It is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.
- They are versatile; you can serve them warm or cold, and whilst there are many ways to enjoy their sweet side, they also make a great side dish, for example with our Marmalade Glazed Ham.
Recipe Inspiration: a childhood favourite recipe - they smell and taste so delicious and you'll find so many ways to use them.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Pears – I have used William Bartlett pears, but you can use Packham, Beurre Bosc or Anjou. They should be firm, only just ripe. Fully ripe pears are not suitable, they will become mushy.
- Water – a small amount of filtered water gets the cooking process started.
- Vanilla – use good quality, naturally extracted from the bean.
- Maple syrup – pure maple syrup is best.
- Lemon juice – adds a note of acidity to balance the flavours.
- Cinnamon sticks – my preference is whole cinnamon, but you can use ground if you prefer. Use ½ to 1 teaspoon, depending on your love of cinnamon. Please note, this will give the Stewed Pears a darker appearance.
Variations:
Spice – feel free to vary the spices to suit your taste. Cloves, ginger, or star anise are all great choices.
Citrus – add some strips of lemon peel for a more pronounced lemon flavour, or like I do in my Baked Pears, use orange juice and some strips of peel.
Maple syrup – you can use honey if you prefer and do not require the dish to be vegan.
How To Make Stewed Pears:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Prepare the pears and add to a saucepan:
Peel the pears and cut them in half. Use a sharp paring knife to remove the core from each half, along with the stringy fibres that run from the stem to the core. You will also need to trim the calyx, the woody portion at the bottom of the pears.
Cut into chunks, as evenly sized as possible, about 3 cm/1 inch. Add to a non-reactive saucepan with the remaining ingredients and stir.
2 – Stew until tender:
Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover the saucepan, and cook for 10 - 15 minutes until the pears are tender but still holding their shape.
Hint: the cooking time will depend on the ripeness of the pears.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
I like to peel them, but you can leave the skin on if you prefer.
You certainly can. When they are completely cold, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be gently reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
Should you happen to have any leftovers, you can freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Depending on how ripe they were and how long they were cooked, they may be softer after defrosting.
Top Tip:
You will get the best result by selecting suitable pears. They must be firm and only just ripe. If fully ripe, they will become mushy.
Serving Suggestions:
Stewed Pears are so versatile, you will find many ways to enjoy them. Some suggestions are:
- With a dollop of yoghurt; to keep it vegan, use coconut yoghurt.
- Accompany warm pears with our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream.
- Serve them alongside our Oat Flour Waffles or Oat Flour Pancakes.
- Top warm porridge and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped almonds.
- Pears and chocolate are great companions; serve with our very easily made Chocolate Sour Cream Cake; a dollop of cream would be a great addition!
These very easily made Stewed Pears are certain to become a family favourite. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.
Alex xx
More Delicious Recipes For You To Try:
Stay in touch!
Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard and Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter.
Stewed Pears
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 3 large pears – I use William Bartlett - prepared weight 650 g (1.5 lb), after peeling/coring See Note 1
- 1 tablespoon water See Note 2
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice See Note 3
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Peel the pears and cut them in half. Use a sharp paring knife to remove the core from each half, along with the stringy fibres that run from the stem to the core. You will also need to trim the calyx, the woody portion at the bottom of the pears.Cut into chunks, as evenly sized as possible, about 3 cm (1 inch).
- Add to a non-reactive saucepan with the remaining ingredients and stir. (See Note 3)
- Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover the saucepan and cook for 10 -15 minutes until the pears are tender but still holding their shape. Test by inserting the tip of a sharp knife. If there is not much resistance, the pears are cooked. The amount of time will depend on the ripeness of the pears.Serve warm or cold.
Notes
- Pears: I have used William Bartlett pears, but you can use Packham, Beurre Bosc, Anjou, or other pears you prefer. They should be firm, only just ripe. Fully ripe pears are not suitable, they will become mushy. Different pears will produce a different texture and level of sweetness, so you may need to adjust accordingly.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Lemon juice: due to the lemon juice, we recommend using a non-reactive saucepan, that is, one made from stainless steel, glass, ceramic or enamelled cookware. Aluminium, copper and iron pans are reactive. Acidic foods may discolour and take on a metallic taste if cooked in these pans.
- Storage and re-heating: add the cooled pears to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be gently reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
- Freezing: allow to cool and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Depending on how long they were initially cooked and how ripe the pears were, they may be slightly softer after defrosting.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Leave a Comment