Poached Pear with Crème Anglaise (Elegant Dessert for One)
Sometimes, I want to feel a little fancy, but in a treat for one form. This poached pear with crème anglaise is your fancy, only for you, delicious situation.
I love a single-serve recipe. Whether you’re living solo or traveling on your own, having a small-batch recipe to whip up and eat in a sitting is my favorite.
This spiced poached pear was one of the first recipes we made in pastry school. You can also poach two pears if you’d like, without adjusting the below recipe; just poach them individually. So put on your fancy pants and get to poaching!
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POACHED PEAR with CRÈME ANGLAISE
It combines three elements: a poached pear, streusel, and creme anglaise. Bring them together, and you have a delicious, deconstructed crisp that also makes your kitchen smell amazing (fall scents, anyone?)!
Since it has three elements, it doesn’t come together in one bowl (or as quickly as a cookie), but it’s fun to make and tastes decadent.
How do I make my poached pear stand upright? Once you’ve peeled and prepped your uncooked pear, cut a thin slice off the bottom of your pear so it sits flat when placed on a plate.
INGREDIENTS
- Pear: the poached base of this single-serve dessert
- Granulated sugar: sweetens the poaching liquid and enhances the pear’s natural flavor
- Pomegranate or cranberry juice: adds tartness and color to the poaching syrup
- Water: dilutes the poaching liquid for even cooking
- Ground cinnamon and cloves: bring warm, cozy spice to the pear
- Orange peel: bright citrus to balance the spices
- Flour: forms the base of the streusel for a buttery texture contrast
- Ground almonds: add nuttiness and a tender, crumbly texture to the streusel
- Brown sugar: sweetens the streusel while adding a subtle molasses flavor
- Butter: binds and crisps the streusel
- Whole milk: forms the base of the crème anglaise for a smooth, pourable consistency
- Heavy cream: turns the crème anglaise rich and silky
- Vanilla extract: gives the custard that classic sweetness
- Egg yolks: thicken the sauce for a velvety crème anglaise
How do I know when my poached pear is done cooking? Remove your pear from the poaching liquid and use a small knife to gently press into the center of the pear through the opening at the bottom. If it slides in easily, it’s ready to be removed.
HOW TO MAKE POACHED PEAR with CRÈME ANGLAISE
Poaching the pear
Peel your pear while keeping the stem intact, then use a small knife to clean up any remaining skin near the top and smooth the surface. Carefully scoop out the core from the bottom using a teaspoon, keeping the opening as small as possible.
If needed, trim a very thin slice off the bottom so the pear can stand upright after poaching.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, juice, water, spices, and orange peel, then bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Add the pear on its side and cover the pot with a slightly tilted lid to allow steam to escape.
Turn the pear every few minutes to ensure even poaching and consistent color. After about 5–7 minutes, test doneness by inserting a knife into the hole in the base. If it slides in easily, the pear is cooked and ready to be removed.
Set your pear upright in a bowl. Discard the orange peel, then boil the poaching liquid until reduced by half and thick like syrup.
Spoon the reduced syrup over the pear, coating it evenly from top to bottom. Repeat this process 2–3 times to create a glossy, flavorful glaze.
Making the streusel
Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix together the streusel ingredients, then pop it in the fridge for 15–20 minutes until firm.
Spread the chilled mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, pressing it into an even layer without gaps. Bake for 10–15 minutes until golden brown.
Immediately transfer the parchment off the hot pan and allow the streusel to cool completely. Once cooled, break it into small chunks for serving.
Preparing the crème anglaise
In a small pot, heat the milk, cream, and vanilla until just simmering. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until pale and slightly thickened.
Gradually temper the egg mixture by whisking in the warm cream mixture in thirds. Return everything to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl if not using immediately. Press parchment directly onto the surface to prevent skin from forming.
Assembling the poached pear with crème anglaise
Place a layer of streusel on a plate to create a base. Set the poached pear on top and spoon the crème anglaise around it for a pretty finish.
Serve immediately and enjoy your poached pear dessert for one.
3 reasons you’ll love this poached pear with crème anglaise
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- You can use red wine instead of juice for poaching the pear. The alcohol will cook off and give a deep flavor.
- Keep a close eye on your pear while it poaches. You want the knife to just stick through when it’s ready. If you cook it for too long, it’ll become mushy.
- Cook your poaching liquid down into a glaze, enough that it becomes almost syrupy. But not too much that it’s too tacky. A thick glaze allows it to stick to the pear when you coat it, for extra flavor and a pretty finish.
- Press your streusel together on the pan in an even layer before baking. This will make it bake together, and then you can break it apart into various chunks once cooled.
STORING YOUR POACHED PEAR
Store your spiced pear, crème anglaise, and streusel in separate containers. Your poached pear will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, and the crème anglaise for up to 3 days. The streusel can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.
You can also save any spare poaching liquid in the fridge, anywhere from 1-2 weeks! Use it to glaze grilled fruit, pour over ice creams or parfaits, or mix into your favorite mocktails.
MORE SINGLE-SERVE DESSERT RECIPES
- Single-Serve Funfetti Cake
- Simple Mini Galette
- Lemon Tart with Almond Crust and Whipped Cream
- Pumpkin Cupcake for One
- Quick Homemade Sm’ores Hot Chocolate
EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment
- Medium Pot
- Pot Lid
- Peeler
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Tray
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Small pot
- Whisk
- Pairing Knife
- Butter Knife
- Slotted Spoon
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pear
- 200 g sugar more than ⅓, less than ½
- 200 g pomegranate or cranberry juice 1/2 cup
- 200 g water
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp ground cloves
- 2 peels of orange skin
- 15 g flour
- 15 g ground almonds
- 15 g brown sugar
- 15 g butter melted
- 75 g whole milk
- 75 g heavy cream
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
- 30 g sugar
- 2 egg yolks
Instructions
POACHING YOUR PEAR
- Peel your pear but leave the stem intact. Use a pairing knife to remove any bits of skin near the stem. Then use the back of a butter knife to gently run along any ridges present on the pear after peeling, to smooth your pear.
- Use a small teaspoon (I used a ¼ tsp) to remove the core from the bottom. Gently scrape out any seeds going upward from the hole you’ve made. Keep your hole as small as possible.
- If needed, minimally trim the bottom of your pear to make it flat so it can sit upright on a plate once poached.
- In a medium pot, combine the sugar, juice, water, cinnamon, cloves, and orange peels. Place on stove over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer (just a few bubbles)
- Lay your peeled pear on its side in the liquid before placing a lid tilted on your pot to allow a little steam to escape. Keep the liquid on a very low simmer
- Every few minutes, remove the lid and roll your pear, making sure it’s poaching evenly. After 5-7 minutes, carefully lift the pear out of the liquid with a slotted spoon and insert a pairing knife into the hole at the bottom of your pear. If the knife goes into the pear with no resistance, it’s ready. If not, gently set it back into your liquid, cover with the lid, and poach for another 2-3 minutes before checking again. When ready, place your cooked pear upright into a bowl
- Remove the orange peels from your liquid and bring the liquid to a boil. Boil your liquid until it has reduced by half, and it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. You should be able to draw a line through the coating on the spoon and it holds without running back together. Remove from heat
- From the top, at the base of the stem, use a spoon to pour glaze along each side of your pear. Move in a circle around the pear until it is fully coated. Do 2-3 coats, to give a nice glaze on the fruit. Remove and sit on a plate until ready
STREUSEL
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Stir together all of your streusel ingredients in a bowl, cover, and pop in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, until the butter has rehardened and the mixture is firm
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and crumble your mixture evenly onto it, pushing it together so it lies flat, but no gaps are in between. This will make it easy to break into different-sized chunks once it’s baked and cooled
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden
- As soon as you pull it from the oven, carefully slide your parchment paper with cooked streusel off of the pan, onto the counter to cool completely
CRÈME ANGLAISE
- In a small pot, simmer your milk, heavy cream, and vanilla
- In a medium bowl, whisk together your sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow, this will take a minute or two
- Pour ⅓ of your milk mixture into your yolk mixture and whisk to combine. Pour another third into your egg mixture and whisk. Repeat with the last third
- Rinse your pot out with cool water and wipe clean
- Return your mixture to the pot and place on the stove over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula. Cook until the mixture coats the back of your spatula and you can draw a line, that holds, through it
- Remove from heat. If not using immediately, pour into a bowl, and place parchment paper directly on the liquid to prevent a skin from forming
ASSEMBLY
- Make a small circle of your streusel, on a plate, enough for your pear to sit on
- Place your poached and glazed pear onto the streusel
- Pour your crème anglaise on the plate, around the streusel
- Enjoy!
