Poached pears with mascarpone pastry cream

A recipe developed during the recent cooking classes: tiny pears poached in white wine and spices served with a smooth and lemony mascarpone pastry cream

My cooking class students are my Guinea pigs, but also the inspiration for most of the seasonal recipes I share here and on Instagram.

During the summer, our desserts consisted mainly of a bowl of macedonia, which is what we call in Italy a fruit salad. At the market, we would buy peaches in all colours and textures, cantaloupe, strawberries and cherries, and then we would gather around the table to peel and dice the fruit. Simply dressed with lemon juice and a faint idea of sugar, macedonia is the perfect summer dessert. Sometimes we would also add a scoop of vanilla gelato, sometimes a spoonful of pastry cream, others a drizzle of elderflower syrup.

When temperatures started to drop, I realized I was not ready to abandon the fruit in the dessert.

Over the years, I’ve grown fond of that light, delicate touch a fruit dessert gives to a meal, often a more balanced end than a slice of cake.

So, when one of my guests during a late summer class suggested poached pears in wine, I took the chance to try this recipe I had been mulling over for a while.

It took me a couple of classes and a bunch of willing students to fine-tune this delightful recipe. And now I’m sharing it with you, too.

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Before we head to the recipe, let me know your thoughts about fruit and dessert. Is it a yes or no for you? I don’t know if this is because I’m getting older, but really, fruit desserts might be my favourites!

Baby pears poached in white wine with lemon mascarpone pastry cream

Let’s start with the pears. We chose pere cosce, an Italian variety of summer baby pears. They have thin, green skin, blushing in pink on the sun-facing side, and a delicate, sweet and juicy pulp. When the season for pere cosce is over, search for local varieties of pears, and choose firm pears that hold the shape when cooking.

On the blog, I have a recipe for red-wine poached pears, but for this recipe, I opted for white wine. I chose a local Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a white wine characterized by fruity and floral scents. Along with the wine, a selection of spices that could recall the incoming autumn: cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves.

The poached pears could be enjoyed on their own, drizzled with a dark chocolate sauce, or served with some vanilla gelato. Or, as we made, they can be accompanied by a scoop of lemon mascarpone pastry cream.

I have to give credit to my friend and pastry chef Emanuela Regi for the perfect pastry cream recipe and for the idea of enriching it with mascarpone cheese.

On its own, the Italian pastry cream can be used to make zuppa inglese, to fill a sponge cake, as in my family's birthday cake, or choux pastries. It could also be eaten by the spoonful, I’m not judging! When enriched with mascarpone, it becomes even silkier. Follow the directions in the recipe on how to incorporate mascarpone into the pastry cream, as to avoid any lumps.

This recipe could also be the beginning of a tiramisù, but that’s a story for another day…

The good thing about this dessert is that it can be prepared in advance. Keep the poached pears and the lemon mascarpone pastry cream in the fridge. Just remember to remove the pears about half an hour before plating to bring them back to room temperature.

Here’s the recipe for the baby pears poached in white wine with lemon mascarpone pastry cream (paywalled content - new recipes are a subscriber benefit only).