This recipe, much like this post, is short and sweet. It takes only six ingredients, not including the topping, but it packs a heap of delicious Autumn flavor. It’s the perfect light end note to a rich dinner (like my coffee braised beef with apple chive mashed potatoes–this is exactly what I served as dessert). As simple as it may be, these sweet spiced pear slices still manage to feel indulgent, but not heavy. Exactly the kind of thing I love in a dessert.
Don’t worry about this sweet tasting ‘alcoholic’- all the alcohol burns off in the cooking process, and all that’s left is a deep bourbon scent.
Bourbon Honey Poached Pears
Serves 6 as a small dessert
3 large, slightly ripe pears (keep them a bit firm- too soft and they will just fall apart), sliced to 1/4” thickness
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks
pinch ground nutmeg (fresh is always best!)
to serve:
fresh whipped cream
freshly ground nutmeg
1. In a medium saucepan, combine honey, bourbon and vanilla. Heat until honey is melted. Add pear slices, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and bring to a boil.
2. When boiling, remove cover and bring to a low simmer. Let simmer softly for 15-20 minutes until pears are softened and liquid has reduced to 1/4 (it should be syrupy).
3. Remove cinnamon sticks and serve topped with fresh whipped cream and ground nutmeg (to make this dairy-free, make coconut whipped cream using just the chilled top layer of full-fat coconut milk to make a natural coconut whipped-topping.)
