Pear – Adise Recipe

Prepare pears

Peel, core, and dice the pears into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. You should have about 4 cups of diced pear. Toss the diced pears with the lemon juice to prevent browning.

Cook pears

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced pears and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until the pears begin to soften.

Add sugar and water

Add the granulated sugar and water to the saucepan. Stir to combine, then bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.

Poach with spices

Add the star anise, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger to the pears. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pears are very tender and the syrup has slightly thickened. If using a vanilla bean, split and scrape seeds into the pan now and add the pod as well. If using extract, add it after the mixture is removed from the heat.

Finish fruit base

Remove the pan from heat. If you used a vanilla pod, fish out and discard the pod and star anise. Allow the mixture to cool slightly (5 minutes). For a rustic textured dessert, serve as-is. For a smoother 'pear purée' version, transfer half or all of the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender and pulse to desired consistency, then return to the pan and warm briefly.

Add cream

Lower heat to very low. Stir the light cream into the warm pear mixture to create a silky finish. Heat gently for 2 minutes — do not boil once cream is added. Taste and, if using vanilla extract instead of a bean, stir it in now.

Adjust sweetness and texture

Taste the pear-adise. If you prefer it sweeter, dissolve up to 1–2 tablespoons additional granulated sugar in a tablespoon of warm water and stir in. If the mixture is too thin, simmer gently a few more minutes to reduce; if too thick, stir in up to 2 tablespoons water or cream.

Plate and garnish

Spoon the pear-adise into serving bowls. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired, sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds, and garnish each serving with a fresh mint leaf.