Poached Pear & Butterscotch Sundaes

Special shout out to Sprouts for sponsoring this post and giving me the notice that it’s national pear month So I have yet one more reason to stock up on pears.

The holiday of food has finally passed, you’re probably finishing up leftovers today, and you might be a little pie’d out.

If that’s a thing.

I think around this time of year we’re good on cakes and cookies and pies (still planning on making all of these) that we forget about the good scoop of ice cream with toppings situation.

This situation’s great too because we’re using in season pears (December is national pear month) and having them poached in a classic spiced citrus-y mixture that echoes off mulled cider spices, making it “winter appropriate” which is me reasoning to everyone else that ice cream is a year round menu item.

The pears we use are also important for this, bartlett and other varieties might have issues being cooked and falling apart so we’re riding the bosc train, and making a stop at Sprouts for their wide selection of good, affordable produce.

This recipe couldn’t be easier, we just heat up some maple syrup with water and spices and call it a day. You can make it ahead of time and just gently warm up on the stove when you make the butterscotch and build the sundae. The warm and cold situation is one of my favorite combos and the pears just sort of melt in your mouth with all the spice, it’s different in a way that’ll impress your guests without making you work too hard. Perfect for the holidays.

4-5 bosc pears, peeled. quartered, and cored

Poached Pear & Butterscotch Sundaes
Serves 4-6

4-5 bosc pears, peeled. quartered, and cored
4 cups water
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 cinnamon stick
2 1×3” pieces of orange peel, using a vegetable peeler, trying to get as little white pith as possible
For the Butterscotch:
1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
2/3 c heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the sundaes:
Vanilla Ice Cream

1. In a medium sized pot big enough to hold the poaching liquid and the pears (2 ½-3 quarts is perfect) combine the water, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and orange peel. Bring the mixture to a simmer then add the pears and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the head and let the pears cool to room temperature.
2. To make the butterscotch, melt the butter in a small pot then add the rest of the ingredients and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat and pour into a heatsafe container to cool slightly.
3. To assemble the sundaes, cut up one of the poached pear wedges and add it to the bottom of a sundae glass with a spoonful of warm butterscotch sauce. Add a couple scoops of ice cream, garnish with a pear slice and top with more warm butterscotch. Serve immediately.