Food - Drink
Why You Shouldn't Use Fully Ripe Fruit When Making Poached Pears
By KAREN HART
Poaching pears or other fruits in wine or syrup creates a simple but delicious treat that can be paired with yogurt, salads, and homemade tarts and pastries. While there are many recipes for poached pears involving different flavorings, one thing these recipes have in common is the use of firm pears, not soft, fully-ripe ones.
When choosing pears for poaching, find pears that are “slightly underripe,” says Masterclass; the right fruit will not be too hard or soft, just in the middle. Fully ripe or overripe pears will fall apart when you poach them, while pears that are too hard will take a lot of time to soften up and make you wait longer for dessert.
To find a suitable pear, Master Class recommends moving your fingers along the "flesh near the stem" and choosing a fruit that feels "barely soft" in that spot. As for the type of pears to use, good varieties include Bosc, Conference, Seckel, Anjou and Winter Nellis, but avoid Comice and Bartlett pears, which tend to be too soft.