Poached Autumn Fruits Food

PERFECT POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place the vin santo, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla bean, and zests in a large, shallow saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact, and scoop out the seeds from the bottom with an apple corer or melon baller. Lay half the pears on their sides in the poaching liquid and simmer for 20 minutes, carefully turning the pears once with a spoon. Remove with a slotted spoon. Poach the remaining pears in the same liquid. Snip off the hard stems from the figs with scissors. Add the figs, apricots, prunes, and the first batch of poached pears and simmer 5 to 10 more minutes, until the pears and the dried fruit are all tender.
• Chill the pears, dried fruit, zests, and poaching liquid. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla bean before serving if you like.

POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, lemon peel, and 5 cups water. Place over medium heat, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Gently place nectarines in the liquid. Add more water if needed to cover nectarines. Place a square of cheesecloth over the fruit, and top with a small plate to keep fruit submerged.
• Increase heat to high, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until nectarines are tender but not soft, about 5 minutes. Remove nectarines from liquid, and allow to cool
• Return liquid to a boil, and cook until reduced to a syrup that will coat the back of spoon, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool.
• Cut nectarines in half, and remove pit. Place two halves on serving plate. Drizzle with syrup. Top each half with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of mint.

PINE NUT TORTA WITH MARSALA-POACHED AUTUMN FRUIT

Steps:

• For fruit:
• Combine 3 cups water, Marsala, sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add prunes and apricots. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until fruit is just soft but not mushy, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fruit to medium bowl. Boil liquid until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Pour syrup over fruit. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• For cake:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter and flour 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Whisk egg yolks, egg, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar in medium bowl until pale and creamy. Gradually add flour, beating until mixture resembles coarse meal. Using rubber spatula, gently stir egg mixture into butter mixture (batter will be thick). Spoon batter into prepared pan; smooth top (cake will be thin). Sprinkle pine nuts over top; press lightly to adhere.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Run small knife around cake edges to loosen. Remove pan sides. Cool cake completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.)
• Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar. Serve with poached fruit.

POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Peel and dice fruit. Place Riesling in saucepan, add sugar, basil and fruit. Simmer slowly until fruit is tender. Cool and serve over ice cream.

POACHED AUTUMN FRUITS

Steps:

• Add fruit to a casserole dish.
• Sprinkle brown sugar all over.
• Add dollops of butter, and splash well with white wine of your choice.
• Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Heavier containers and larger quantities will take longer.
• Meanwhile, combine butter and brown sugar and then crumble over fruit.
• Bake for another 6-8 minutes until caramelising begins.
• Serve as soon as top caramelises.
• Serve with double whipped cream or custard- you can of course also sprinkle a few almond slivers or pine nuts over each serving as you choose.
• HINT: Add a few cinnamon sticks for a great change in flavour - remove before serving.
• You can add the cinnamon sticks to the wine and heat gently for 15-20 minutes to infuse the wine with the cinnamon flavour before pouring over the fruit.

POACHED PLUMS

Steps:

• To prepare the plums: wash and cut them into quarters, then remove the stones.
• Tip the sugar into a pan with 225ml water, the cinnamon and vanilla. Gently heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Slide the fruit into the syrup. Bring the pan to the boil, then let it simmer for 5-10 mins - depending on the ripeness - until the plums are soft. Leave to cool slightly and serve as they are with something creamy.