Poached Pears in White Wine

Poached fruit is a mainstay on nearly every French restaurant’s menu. Easy to make and absolutely delicious, this special dessert is healthy and low fat, so anyone can order it. Try this recipe for poached pears in white wine at home and you’ll be adding it to your kitchen repertoire, too. Serve it with a bit of crème patisserie or almond glace for richer treat – the cream perfectly accents the spiced wine syrup and sweetness of the pears.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sweet white wine
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean (substitute 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4 pears, peeled with stems left intact
• 2 cups granulated sugar

Preparation:

Stir together the white wine, water, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and add the prepared pears. Poach the pears, uncovered, for 7 to 9 minutes, until they turn tender, but not mushy.

Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the pears onto a serving plate. Return the poaching liquid to a simmer, add the sugar, and allow the mixture to reduce by half in volume, about 6 to 8 minutes. The syrup is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean from the syrup.

Arrange the pears on individual serving plates and drizzle with the wine syrup.

This poached pears in white wine recipe makes 4 servings.

Banana Tarte Tatin Recipe

This banana tarte tatin recipe is an easy dessert to make on short notice. Ripe bananas are always in season and frozen puff pastry can be found in most major grocery stores. Pull the puff pastry out to thaw while you slice bananas and simmer the rum sauce. Best of all, this recipe is very forgiving. If you simply have no time to make homemade French rum sauce, use store-bought caramel sauce kicked up with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup rum sauce
• 3 bananas, cut crosswise into ½-inch slices

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Working on a clean surface, roll the pastry dough into an 11-inch circle and chill.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Add the rum sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and arrange the banana slices in a single layer in the hot rum sauce. Drape the pastry over the bananas, fitting the overhang up the sides of the skillet. Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown. Cool the tarte tatin in the skillet for 30 minutes before inverting it onto a serving platter.

This banana tarte tatin recipe makes 8 servings.