Cinnamon Tea Poached Pears
Pears gently poached in a strong cinnamon tea syrup until tender and amber—an elegant, naturally sweet dessert that needs almost no added sugar.
This dessert leans into cinnamon tea's most distinctive trait: its natural sweetness. By poaching pears in a concentrated cinnamon infusion, the fruit takes on the tea's warm spice flavor and a beautiful amber color, without needing much sugar to feel indulgent.
Choosing slightly under-ripe pears is key—they hold their shape during the long, gentle poach and absorb the cinnamon syrup evenly rather than turning mushy. Bosc or Anjou pears both work well for this.
Letting the pears cool in their poaching liquid intensifies the flavor even further, as they continue absorbing the cinnamon tea while the syrup thickens slightly. Patience here pays off in flavor.
Serve the pears whole or sliced, drizzled with the reduced poaching syrup, and finished with a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream. It's an elegant dessert that tastes far more complex than its short ingredient list suggests.
Ingredients
- 4 firm pears, peeled with stems intact
- 4 cups water
- 4 cinnamon sticks (or 1/4 cup cinnamon bark pieces)
- 1/3 cup sugar or honey
- 1 strip orange peel
- 1 vanilla pod, split (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- Pinch of salt
- Greek yogurt or whipped cream, to serve
How to make it
- 1Combine water, cinnamon sticks, sugar, orange peel, vanilla, and salt in a pot large enough to hold the pears upright. Bring to a simmer and steep 10 minutes to build a strong cinnamon tea base.
- 2Add the pears, standing upright, and cover with a piece of parchment to keep them submerged.
- 3Simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, turning occasionally, until pears are tender when pierced with a knife.
- 4Remove pears and set aside. Increase heat and reduce the poaching liquid by half, until syrupy, about 15 minutes.
- 5Let pears cool in the syrup, then serve drizzled with the reduced syrup and a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream.
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