Receta Slow Cooker Cherry Poached Pears with Coconut Cream
With Thanksgiving and holiday parties just around the corner, I’m sure you’re on the lookout for special desserts that are elegant, easy to put together, but are healthy, too. That’s why I’m working with USA Pears to create a poached pear dessert that will fit all the above criteria!
To make this a dairy free dessert, in case you have to avoid milk products or are vegan, I’ve used coconut cream as the whipped topping.
Finally, to make this super easy to cook up, I’ve created this recipe for the slow cooker. That way you can have your dessert cooking away (and ready) while you’re making your holiday dinner or putting the last minute touches on your party. With proper planning and timing, you can turn off your slow cooker and the poached pears will stay warm until it’s time to plate and serve.
Let’s talk about pears
If you’ve visited the store lately, you’ve probably noticed that fresh pear season is underway. USA Pears are an excellent source of fiber and full of vitamin C with only 100 calories per serving.
Did you know that 10 varieties of USA Pears are being harvested now?
Green Anjou
Red Anjou
Yellow Bartlett
Red Bartlett
Boscdre
Comice
Concorde
Forelle
Seckel
Starkrimson
Yellow Bartlett
I’ve had a tough time determining if the pears at the store I was seeing were ripe or not. They all seemed rock hard to me! And then when I let them sit in the refrigerator too long, they ended up getting too soft and mushy. To find out if a pear is ripe, just apply gentle pressure to the narrow neck of the pear with your thumb. If it yields to pressure, it's ripe and ready to eat.
However, if you have a crisp or under-ripe pear, THOSE are the type you want for poaching!
A note on coconut cream
Coconut cream is thicker than coconut milk because it contains less water. Some brands may contain thickeners like xanthan gum, which are fine, but stay away from any brands with sugar. Those are usually meant for making pina coladas.
You can also use full fat coconut milk. Just pour off any coconut water you’ll find after refrigerating overnight. (Save the coconut water for smoothies or soups!) You won’t get as much cream as a full can of coconut cream, so use less Monk Fruit in the Raw.
Slow Cooker Cherry Poached Pears with Coconut Cream
Ingredients
- For whipped coconut cream
- 1 (14 ounce) can coconut cream
- 1/4 generous cup Monk Fruit In The Raw
- For poached pears
- 9 firm, under-ripe Yellow or Red Bartlett pears
- 32 ounces tart cherry juice (unsweetened)
- 3 cups orange juice
- 10 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 3/4 cup Monk Fruit In The Raw
Directions
For whipped coconut cream
Place can of unsweetened coconut cream in refrigerator overnight.
About 15 minutes before plating, place bowl and wire whip beater from your stand mixer in refrigerator for to chill.
Prepare the coconut whipped cream by spooning the chilled coconut cream into the chilled bowl. Add monk fruit. Whip on medium high like you would whipping cream until it’s light and fluffy and soft peaks form. Do not overbeat.
Store whipped coconut cream in refrigerator until it is time to plate poached pears.
For poached pears
Remove cores from bottom end of pears, leaving stem end intact. Slice the bottom of each pear so it sits flat.
Place cherry juice, orange juice, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla bean and Monk Fruit in the Raw in an oval 6-quart slow cooker. Stir until monk fruit dissolves.
Set pears in cherry juice mixture sideways so the juice gets into the core.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 90 minutes. Flip to the other side so they cook and color evenly. Cook on HIGH another 90 minutes until pears are tender. Turn off heat.
To plate
Using a soup ladle, remove half the liquid from the crock. (Place cover back on slow cooker to keep pears warm.) Pour cooking liquid into a sieve over a medium saucepan. Discard any solids. Bring liquid to a boil over medium high heat. Lower heat so it remains at a fast simmer but doesn’t boil over. Boil cooking liquid for about 20 minutes or until it has significantly reduced and starts to thicken.
Suggested plating: Pour thickened cooking liquid directly on plate. Place pear on top, sitting on its leveled bottom. Then place a generous dollop of whipped coconut cream on the side.
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 3 Hours 20 Minutes
Total Time: 3 Hours 50 Minutes
Servings: Serves 9
Serving size: 1 pear per person
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.