In my last Rooted Nutrition class we learned how to poach pears “Free of refined sugar. Full of Flavour”.
The secret is to combine apple juice or even cranberry or raspberry with spices such as cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, and ginger.
These are the poached pears we made. They were anjou pears, poached in cherry juice, and served with an elderberry syrup.
Armed with my new poaching pear skills, I made breakfast this morning and as I ate I kept exclaiming “WOW”.
This is a simple oatmeal. It takes a bit more time, but is perfect for when you have 15 minutes to make breakfast, instead of just 5.
Oatmeal with Chai Spiced Poached Pears
You will need:
*1 Cup rolled oats, (soaked overnight in 1 C water and 2 T Kefir, Yoghurt, or Lemon juice. read my previous post: A secret to a good oatmeal, if you want more instruction).
*1 Cup Apple Juice
*1 t Chai Spice
*1 or 2 Pears (I used Anjou)
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Step 1: Make your poaching liquid This is the chai spice mix I use which is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, fennel, clove, black pepper. Use 1 tsp of chai spice mix for 1 cup of apple juice, simmer for a few minutes. |
| Step 2: Poach your pears Peel your pear, but leave it whole. Poach in the apple juice/chai spice mixture for anywhere between 6-15 minutes. Turn the pear over halfway through poaching to poach all sides. Mine took about 12. You can test the pear, it’s done when your fork easily pierces the pear. |
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| A cool trick I learned from Andrea Potter at Rooted Nutrition is to make a parchment paper lid to cover the pears as they poach. Cut a steam vent in the middle, and place over the poaching pot. This helps if your pears are floating in the poaching liquid. | |
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| Step 3: Strain your poaching liquid Remove your pear from the liquid. Strain the juice. You should have about a cup. If not, just add a bit of water. |
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| Step 4: Cook your oatmeal Next, heat the strained poaching juice back up in the pan and add your soaked oatmeal. Cover and cook on low for about 5 minutes.Your pear should be cool enough to handle now. Slice in half, and spoon out the seeds & core (surprisingly easy!), then slice them lengthwise.  Take a bite of the pear. It’s amazing. Slightly sweet, nice and spiced with chai. You could just eat this now as is, even without the oatmeal. In fact I think I am going to try just these pears, as a dessert, maybe with a bit of cream, in the very near future.Step 5: Assemble and eat!Plate your oatmeal and add the sliced poached pears over top. I had a bit of poaching liquid left so I spooned a little bit over the bowl. Perfect. This oatmeal is sweetened, but still slightly tart while the pears add a perfect amount of extra sweetness and spice to the dish.
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A few cool things about pears, from Rebecca Wood’s “The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia”:
Pears are a yin tonic that clear heat and mucus and energize the stomach, spleen, and lungs. The pear is used in the treatment for diabetes, hot cough, gallbladder obstruction, and constipation. … Freshly squeezed pear juice is a kitchen remedy for a hangover.
… Pears are a good source of fiber, particularly pectin, as well as potassium and boron. They are low in sodium and have small amounts of phosphorus and vitamin A. The pectin in pears reduces serum cholesterol and radioactive toxins.
…Be Mindful Pear orchards typically receive nine application of pesticides per season as well as routine fungicides and herbicides, making them one of our most toxic commercial fruits. Favor organic pears when possible.
Why use Chai?
Cedana, our herbalism instructor explained: Chai is an immune strengthening brew. It stimulates circulation, improves digestive fire and is absolutely delicious. Click here for more benefits of chai.
Enjoy!
the healthy project 