Elegant desserts don’t have to be difficult, as this one proves.  It takes very few ingredients and only a little over 30 minutes to prepare this easy dessert recipe. We have been served this dessert in 5 star restaurants and at a cost of close to $20, yet it costs very, very little to make.  We can almost guarantee that these poached pears will be a big hit the next time you need new and easy desserts.

Vanilla Poached Pears

Ingredients
2 cups good quality sherry
1 vanilla bean pod
6 ripe pears
2 teaspoons arrowroot
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup chopped almonds
 

Preparation

In a large sauce pan over low heat, bring the sherry and the vanilla bean pod to a simmer.  Carefully peel the pears leaving the stems.

Carefully stand the pears in the pan and spoon the cherry over them. Cover tightly to keep the moisture in and simmer to poach the pears, turning occasionally and spooning sherry over them until tender, about 20-25 minutes

Remove the vanilla beans.  Cut open the beans and scrape out the seeds.  Set the seeds aside.  Gently remove the pears from the sherry and place on serving dishes.

Add the vanilla seed to the sherry and bring to a slow boil.  Cook down the liquid until only about 1 cup remains.  Mix the arrowroot with a little cold water then whisk into the reduced sherry.  Continue whisking until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Allow to cool, then spoon over pears and top with the chopped almonds.