Saffron Poached Pears

I love the simplicity of these saffron poached pears that chef Janni Kyritsis taught me to make many years ago. At MG Garage he served them alongside a delicate cardamom-scented blancmange made with yoghurt – I like them with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, custard, dollop of Chantilly cream, or just on their own for a sweet ending to a picnic lunch! Use a slightly fruity white wine for this dish, like White Fences sauvignon blanc from Mudgee – and drink the rest of the bottle with your saffron poached pears. Pure saffron threads, such as those imported from Iran by Saffron & More, impart a distinctive aroma and beautiful colour to this dish; learn more about saffron and how to use it in the video below.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups fruity white wine
2 cups water
1¼ cups castor sugar
Generous pinch saffron threads
4 small firm pears

Method

Place wine, water, sugar and saffron into a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears snugly and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.
Meanwhile, peel and core pears.
Add pears to the wine mixture; if necessary, add enough boiling water to just cover the pears.
Reduce heat, cover with a cartouche and a lid and cook on the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until tender.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool in the poaching liquid.
Cover and refrigerate until needed.