recipe
Pot-roast pears
I have no idea where this recipe came from. It’s something I’ve been cooking for decades. This particular version evolved over winter, when the usual variety of coloured fruits becomes limited to pears, apples and quinces.
If I were completely honest, this recipe came from something else, too: an intense dislike of poached pears. Except at breakfast, when they are acceptable.
I think the caramelising of the pear is what elevates this dish: the richness of the butter, the vanilla and the Poire Williams liqueur, all part of this simple act. The problem with poached pears, by comparison, is the horrible grainy texture that turns up with some varieties.
For this recipe I like to use a good old-fashioned Williams pear, and not a ripe one. If it’s overly ripe, it will collapse and become pulp. A beurre bosc would also work – it’s a good firm pear, great for cooking.
Another pear that has popped up, which I like, is the rouge d’Anjou. It’s a pretty, squat, rosy-coloured pear that eats well and cooks well if not too ripe. It also has a slightly finer grain, which is nice.
This recipe requires a certain amount of attention, particularly during the caramelising process. The pears need to be turned to get a good, even colour. A heavy enamel pan works wonders for this dish, or a heavy-based stainless-steel pan. What is important is that the pears sit snugly in the pan but do not crowd up over one another.
I have had an old Swedish enamel pan for more than 20 years, and to this day the only thing I really cook in it is this pear recipe. I like it enough for the pan to earn its spot in the cupboard. If these pears make it onto the menu in the restaurant, the pan goes in with them. We’ve used other pans, but it’s just not quite the same.
The first time I served this dish in the restaurant, we made a panna cotta to serve with it, and replaced a third of the cream with crème fraîche. This, and a little bit of lemon zest, gave a nice tartness to accompany the pears. Whipped cream or ice-cream would also suffice.
Time: 10 minutes preparation + about 1 hour cooking
Serves 4
- 4 pears
- 2 tbsp soft butter
- 1 vanilla bean
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 90ml dessert wine
- 1 tsp Poire Williams liqueur (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC.
- Peel, quarter and core the pears. Heat an enamel or stainless-steel pan that will house them tightly. The pears should form only a single layer in the base of the pan and not be stacked on top of each other.
- Place the butter in a small mixing bowl. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Mix the vanilla seeds into the soft butter. Finely julienne the remaining vanilla pod and set it aside.
- Add the butter to the pan along with the sugar, sweet wine, Poire Williams and pears. Place the pan over a high heat and bring to a simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminium foil, place in the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes.
- While cooking, take the time to turn the pieces over occasionally.
- Once roasted, remove the lid and return the pears to the oven uncovered and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this stage most of the liquid should have reduced to syrup and the pears should have started to brown.
- Add the shredded vanilla bean and cook for a further five minutes before serving.
- Place four quarters of pear in small serving bowls, then scrape all the syrup and brown bits that have stuck to the pan and spoon it evenly over the pears.
- Top with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
This recipe is from The Saturday Paper archive. Karen Martini is on leave.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on May 17, 2025 as "Prepare the pear".
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