Want the fastest, easiest dessert? Poach some fruit and top it off with some whipped pears!! This looks way impressive and nothing could be father from the truth! Can I get an amen?!
Poaching fruit is so easy. How to? Simply slice firm, in-season fruits in half, and place skin side down in a poaching liquid of your choosing. Good ones to choose from are firmer summer fruits like nectarines, peaches, plums, and then peeled fall fruits like apples and pears. Traditionally, fruit is poached in a wine or liqueur. I wanted to a recipe that was flexible using both alcohol or a non-alcoholic version. Enter cider. Cider can be hard or soft (hehehe). Make this with apple cider for the kiddos or some hard local cider for the adults. To be honest, the amount of alcohol that enters the peaches is minimal, as it’s really just a flavoring liquid. I used a locally made hard cider from Blackman Homested Farms, which I got while teaching a healthy plant-based cooking class at Farmer’s and Artisans in Buffalo, NY. It’s really good! Don’t have hard cider on hand? Use white wine for this. It maintains the color of the peaches. And by the way, don’t ditch the poaching liquid, it’s great to drink on its own, or add it to some seltzer for a great drink!
What’s great about this healthy dessert is:
- It’s really low in calories (you’re not drinking the liquor, it’s just for flavoring)
- Good source of antioxidants and fiber
- Takes 5 minutes to prepare
- Use what ever fruit you have and scale it up or down depending on how many mouths you need to feed!
- Is great the next day too!
Ingredients:
- In-season, slightly firm (don’t use the mushy, extra juicy ones) peaches (nectarines work too)
- 1 tsp whole all-spice or cloves-I used all spice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2-1 bottle of hard cider depending on how much you’re poaching (enough to fill pan 1/2 way up the fruit)
- Serving suggestions: whipped pear topping or whipped coconut cream, fresh berry, and spring of mint. Fresh tahini granola would be great too!
Instructions:
- Cut fruit in half and remove the pit by twisting the peach as you would an avocado, this is easier with free-stone peaches vs. early season cling-stone
- Pour cider into pan and place peaches skin side down
- Cider should come up half way on the sides of the fruit, if it doesn’t, add some water to the pan to make sure you have enough poaching liquid
- Cover, and poach on a medium simmer until knife inserts easily, about 5 minutes
- Serve topped with cinnamon whipped pears, fresh berries, and chopped walnuts or tahini granola (if desired). That’s all folks!
Nutritional Benefits:
- Whole food dessert-no added sugars, fats, or other nonsense
- Good source of fiber and micronutrients
- Served with fruit whip-you have the added nutrition of ground chia’s omega 3 fatty acids, protein, and fiber
- In-season, slightly firm (don't use the mushy, extra juicy ones) peaches (nectarines work too)
- 1 tsp whole all-spice or cloves-I used all spice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½-1 bottle of hard cider depending on how much you're poaching (enough to fill pan ½ way up the fruit)
- Serving suggestions: whipped pear topping or whipped coconut cream, fresh berry, and spring of mint. Fresh
- tahini granola
- would be great too!
- Cut fruit in half and remove the pit by twisting the peach as you would an avocado, this is easier with free-stone peaches vs. early season cling-stone
- Pour cider into pan and place peaches skin side down
- Cider should come up half way on the sides of the fruit, if it doesn't, add some water to the pan to make sure you have enough poaching liquid
- Cover, and poach on a medium simmer until knife inserts easily, about 5 minutes
- Serve topped with cinnamon whipped pears, fresh berries, and chopped walnuts or tahini granola (if desired). That's all folks!
