Cinnamon Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce with Pressure Cooker option

Four Cinnamon Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce

3.60 from 5 votes

Cinnamon Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce with Pressure Cooker option

Here are directions for poaching pears in an Instant Pot pressure cooker or in a saucpan, stovetop. Poached pears will keep about 5 days, with the cinnamon flavor getting stronger each day. You can prepare the vegan chocolate sauce ahead as well--rewarm it just before serving.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: chocolate sauce, pears, pressure cooker, vegan

Servings: pears.

Calories: 813kcal

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

For the pears:

1 lemon , cut in half
3 cups water
2 cups wine (see note)
2 cups organic cane sugar
6 cinnamon sticks
6 Bartlett pears , ripe, but still firm

Chocolate Sauce:

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate cut in 1/2-inch pieces (I used Trader Joe’s 72% dark)
½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

To poach the pears in an Instant Pot pressure cooker:

Put the water, wine, sugar, and cinnamon sticks in the pressure cooker. Bring to a simmer on Sauté, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Press the Keep Warm button so the liquid stays hot until the pears are peeled and ready.
Peel the pears, keeping them whole, with the stems intact. Rub them immediately with the cut lemon to keep from turning brown. Squeeze the remaining lemon juice into the wine/sugar syrup and drop the juiced lemon into the syrup.
Slip the pears into the hot syrup and lock the lid. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 3 minutes. When the beep sounds, quick release the pressure by pressing Cancel, and twisting the steam handle to Venting position. Carefully remove the pears with a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl, and as soon as the syrup has cooled a bit, pour it over the pears. Move the cinnamon sticks back to the syrup and pears in the bowl.

To poach the pears regular stovetop cooking:

Put the water, wine, sugar, and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring a few times as the sugar dissolves. Lower the heat to a simmer.
Peel the pears, keeping them whole. Rub them immediately with the cut lemon to keep them from turning brown. Squeeze the cut lemon's juice into the simmering wine/sugar syrup.
Slip the pears into the hot syrup. Cover them with a circle of parchment paper and a small plate as a weight, to keep the pears submerged in the poaching liquid. The pears will jostle and find their place lying down in the liquid.
Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pears are barely tender, being careful not to overcook. The poaching time depends upon the ripeness of the pears; the riper the pear, the shorter the poaching time. Transfer the pears and liquid, including the cinnamon sticks, to a bowl.

After poaching the pears:

Cover the pears with the parchment circle and a small plate as a weight, to keeping them fully submerged until you are ready to serve. Serve warm or cold.

Make the Chocolate Sauce:

Place the chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, over medium flame, heat the coconut milk, coconut oil, and maple syrup just to the boil. Pour over chocolate and let sit a minute. Whisk until smooth. Serve very warm.
To serve, slice a little piece off the bottom of each pear and so they will stand up.
Place each pear on a plate and pour the warm chocolate sauce over.

Notes

If you don't want to use wine, just use all water in the poaching syrup.
You can substitute Bosc or D’Anjou pears for Bartletts.

Nutrition