A poached pear needs only a few things to become a real dessert.

Here, we replace some of the classic flavors with an infusion of Myanmar black tea.

The result remains soft, fruity and accessible, but with an added depth brought by the tea.

Pears Poached in Black Tea

The ingredients

• 4 ripe but still firm pears
• 750 ml of water
• 8 g of Myanmar black tea
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• 1 small vanilla pod or ½ pod
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 1 small piece of untreated lemon zest
• A few drops of lemon juice

1. Prepare the tea infusion

Bring the 750 ml of water to about 90 to 95 °C.

Add the black tea and let it steep for about 3 minutes.

Carefully strain the leaves.

It is important not to leave the tea in the liquid for the entire cooking time of the pears: an excessively long infusion could add too much astringency to the dessert.

2. Infuse the poaching liquid

Pour the strained infusion into a saucepan large enough to hold the four pears.

Add the honey, vanilla, half cinnamon stick and lemon zest.

Heat gently until the honey is perfectly dissolved.

The mixture should simmer, but it is not necessary to bring it to a strong boil.

3. Prepare the pears

Peel the pears while keeping their stems.

Immediately brush their surface with a little lemon juice to limit browning.

You can carefully remove the core from underneath with a small knife or corer, but this step is optional.

4. Poach gently

Place the pears in the hot liquid.

Cook them over a very gentle simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Turn them carefully once or twice so that all sides are evenly infused.

Check the cooking with the tip of a knife: it should penetrate easily without the flesh becoming soft.

5. Turn the infusion into syrup

Carefully remove the pears once cooked.

Remove the cinnamon, vanilla and zest.

Then let the liquid reduce over medium heat for a few minutes.

It should become slightly syrupy, without turning into caramel.

Taste before continuing the reduction: the tea should remain noticeable behind the pear and honey, not become bitter.

6. Serve

Place one pear on each plate.

Pour a little hot or warm syrup around the fruit.

You can serve this dessert as is or add a teaspoon of thick cream, cottage cheese or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

To keep the tea in the foreground, it is best to avoid overly strong accompaniments.

Shan black tea brings something more than just a fragrance

We have chosen a plain black tea here rather than a flavored tea.

Its role is to give the poaching liquid more depth without masking the fruit.

The pear and honey naturally provide the sweetness; the tea builds the aromatic background.

Myanmar Black Tea Leaf – Shan Black Tea

For this recipe, we use our Myanmar black tea, a plain tea from Shan State.

If you wish to discover this territory before heading into the kitchen, our Logbook Dedicated to Myanmar Tea revisits Namhsan, Ta’ang traditions and laphet.

Three ways to evolve the recipe

Mistakes to avoid

• Boiling the tea for 25 minutes: strain the leaves after steeping.
• Choosing pears that are too ripe: they may fall apart.
• Adding too much cinnamon: it can easily overpower the tea.
• Reducing the syrup too much: the concentration also increases the astringency of the tea.
• Adding too much sugar: the fruit and honey should accompany the tea, not make it disappear.

Can the pears be prepared in advance?

Yes, and they are even excellent after resting for a few hours.

Let them cool in some of their poaching liquid then store them in the refrigerator in a closed container. Take them out a few minutes before serving and optionally reheat the syrup separately.

When the cup goes into the kitchen

Cooking with tea does not consist of turning every dessert into an infusion.

Sometimes it is enough to use it as a spice: in moderation, to add depth to simple ingredients.

A pear, honey, a few tea leaves: sometimes, the journey fits in a saucepan.