Rooibos Poached Pears Recipe | Redbush Dessert

Rooibos Poached Pears

Whole pears poached in spiced rooibos with orange, cinnamon and star anise, then served in a reduced, glossy syrup. Caffeine-free, and better made the day before.

Prep 15 min + 30 min poach

Serves 4

Medium

The recipe

Exact quantities, then the method.

Poaching pears in a strong, spiced Rooibos brew gives you all the colour and warmth of the classic red-wine version, but with no alcohol and no caffeine, so it suits everyone at the table. The tea stains the pears a deep amber and lends a gentle honeyed, woody note.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Rooibos Poached Pears recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/rooibos/rooibos-poached-pears/

It uses Tetley Redbush Pure, Rainforest Alliance certified rooibos from the Western Cape, and it's a proper make-ahead pudding: the pears only improve sitting in the syrup overnight.

⏱ 15 min + 30 min poach 🍽 Serves 4 📊 Medium 📚 Rooibos Recipes

You'll need

4 firm pears, Conference or Williams, peeled with stalks left on
6 Tetley Redbush Pure rooibos tea bags
800ml water
120g caster sugar, or 100g runny honey
2 strips of orange peel and the juice of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1 vanilla pod, split, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

In a deep pan bring the water, rooibos bags, sugar, orange peel and juice, cinnamon, star anise and vanilla to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer 5 minutes, then lift out the rooibos bags; 5 minutes is enough for deep colour without a stewed note.
Peel the pears, keeping the stalks on, and cut a thin flat slice off each base so they stand upright. Lower them into the liquid.
Press a disc of baking paper onto the surface so the pears stay submerged. Poach gently for 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance, turning occasionally for even colour.
Lift the pears out carefully. Boil the poaching liquid hard for 10 to 15 minutes until reduced to a glossy syrup.
Serve the pears warm or chilled with the rooibos syrup spooned over, alongside creme fraiche, mascarpone or vanilla ice cream.
To make ahead, cool the pears in the syrup and chill overnight; they take on a deeper colour and flavour.

What you'll end up with: Spiced pears stained right through, tender to the core, sitting in a fragrant rooibos and orange syrup. A make-ahead, caffeine-free pudding that looks far more involved than it actually is.

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