New Lebanon— I was scrolling social media when I came across a photo of purple stained glass pears, and I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. This inspired me to play around with using color when poaching pears. Using butterfly pea flower tea and blue food coloring, I made beautiful blue pairs with a hint of floral sweetness from the tea. I used them to make this Autumn Pear Pavlova, and just… wow!
Autumn Pear Pavlova with Glass Pears
Pears:
4 pears, peeled
4 bags of butterfly pea flower tea
20 drops blue food coloring
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar
Pavlova:
4 egg whites
1 cup + 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pear Filling:
Reserved poached pear bits, chopped (see recipe)
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
For the Glass Pears:
Bring enough water to cover four pears to a boil. Drop in tea bags and add food coloring. Gently lower the pears into the water, bring down to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes. Using the stem as your guide, create one thin slice of pear from each pear, reserving the trim. Gently but thoroughly pat dry the slices with a paper towel. Place the candy thermometer in the sauce pan and add one cup or sugar and two cups of water. Do not stir. Bring to 300 degrees, monitor/adjust the temperature constantly and do not let it go higher than 300 degrees. Then, one at a time, quickly and carefully swirl each pear slice into the hot sugar water and immediately followed by the ice bath. Remove from water and place on parchment paper. This is a rather difficult step, so you can alternative lay the dried slices on parchment paper and drizzle the sugar mixture on top.
For the Pavlova:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Beat egg whites in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Add one cup sugar to the mixing bowl, 1/3 cup at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add the lemon juice and beat for 30 additional seconds. In a small bowl, mix one teaspoon each of sugar, cornstarch, and cream of tartar. Add to egg mixture, folding it in. Pour the mixture onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and use a butter knife to shape it. I prefer to make a well in the center and keep it rustic with a few swirls. Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, but keep the Pavlova in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Cool.
For the Pear Filling:
Cook the reserve chopped poached pear in butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Fill the well in the Pavlova with the pear filling and cover with freshly whipped cream. Then gently place the blue pears on top, and serve immediately.
