Ingredients
- 3 pears, ripe but still firm (any variety)
- 1 cup [200 g] packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- ½ cup [120 ml] balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup [80 ml] apple cider
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1½ Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
How to Make It
- Peel, halve, and seed the pears. I like to use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
- In a large cast-iron skillet or a sauté pan over medium-low heat, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, apple cider, lemon juice, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and thyme. Lay the pears in the skillet, core-side down. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer and cook the pears for 20 minutes. Flip the pears and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until they are very soft and fork-tender.
- Transfer the pears to a plate or baking sheet and set aside. Increase the heat to medium and simmer the sauce until reduced by half, thickened, and sticky, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Serve the poached pears, half a pear per person, with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of the balsamic sauce.
