Fennel Tea Poached Pears with Honey Mascarpone
Pears gently poached in fennel tea with star anise and vanilla, served with a cloud of honey mascarpone—aromatic, elegant, and naturally light.
Poaching pears in fennel tea wraps them in a warm, sweet anise embrace that turns an everyday fruit into something almost perfume-like. The tea's natural licorice notes deepen as they concentrate in the poaching liquid.
Star anise and a vanilla bean in the poaching liquid amplify the fennel tea's character, creating layers of warm spice. The pears absorb this fragrant broth and turn translucent and impossibly tender.
Honey mascarpone is the ideal companion—its creamy richness offsets the pears' delicate sweetness, and the honey echoes the tea's natural sugary warmth without being cloying.
Serve in shallow bowls with a spoonful of the reduced poaching syrup and a scattering of crushed pistachios for color and crunch. This dessert looks restaurant-worthy but takes minimal effort.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe but firm pears, peeled with stems intact
- 4 cups brewed fennel tea (strong)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 star anise
- 1 vanilla bean, split (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1 strip of lemon peel
- 250g mascarpone cheese
- 2 tbsp honey (for mascarpone)
- Crushed pistachios for garnish
How to make it
- 1Brew fennel tea strong (4 bags or 4 tbsp loose in 4 cups water). Pour into a saucepan and add 1/3 cup honey, star anise, vanilla bean, and lemon peel.
- 2Add peeled pears upright. The liquid should mostly cover them—add water if needed.
- 3Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 25–30 minutes, turning pears occasionally, until tender when pierced with a knife.
- 4Remove pears carefully and set aside. Reduce poaching liquid over high heat until syrupy (about 1/2 cup), roughly 10 minutes.
- 5Whisk mascarpone with 2 tbsp honey until smooth and fluffy.
- 6Serve each pear with a generous dollop of honey mascarpone, a drizzle of the reduced syrup, and a scattering of crushed pistachios.
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