Easy Poached Pears Dessert with Whipped Mascarpone Cream

Well hummm sometimes the simplest combinations are the ones that truly deliver, and this is one of those desserts that proves that point beautifully or should i say creamly 😀 Soft, naturally sweet pears meet a rich and creamy mascarpone topping, the contrast in texture and flavor between the two is nothing short of wonderful it tastes light and refreshing. On top of that, you have complete control over the sweetness, which is something you really don’t get with a lot of desserts.

I know its a bit of a cliche, but really what makes this recipe especially great is how versatile it is. Those pears that have been sitting on your counter getting a little too ripe? Perfect, you just bought them, you can use them too, even if you have some extra apples, throw them in too, or well any other firm low juice fruit they all work just fine here.

And well the mascarpone cream is kinda a easy goto for me, since you can use it as a way more stable topping than just whipped cream and it just adds a lovely tang hehehe to the cream, instead of just sweet cream and the whole thing comes together in minutes with few ingredients, the pears cook in under 20 minutes, and the whole thing can be prepped well ahead of time, even a day or two in advance, and assembled right before serving. It’s the kind of dessert you pull out when you want something that looks and tastes impressive but took almost no effort at all. Let’s get to it!

Easy Poached Pears Dessert with Whipped Mascarpone Cream

Servings: 6
Time: 45mins
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: ★★★★★
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Ohhh what about a deliciously simple fruit dessert, nothing like soft, pan-cooked pears blanketed in a rich mascarpone cream and finished with a crumble of sweet Maria cookies. Its pretty basic but kinda feels fancy and refreshing at the same time, give it a try!

Ingredients

Pears – 8
Salt – Pinch
Mascarpone Cheese – 250g (Cold)
Cream – 150ml (Cold)
Brown Sugar – 100g
Maria Cookies – 6 cookies (Crushed)

Directions

Start by peeling and chopping into cubes the pears and placing them in a frying pan, add a pinch of salt and cook. If you want the pears to oxidize less, you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice before cooking, but as they will be cooked, they will darken anyway.

Cook over medium to low heat for about 15 minutes, but this will depend on the ripeness of the pears, greener ones will take a little longer. Taste and remove from the heat when they are tender and to your liking.

Pour a portion into each bowl and refrigerate to cool (or just put everything on a container and divide later on).

In a bowl, combine the cream and sugar and whisk well until creamy.

Now add the mascarpone cheese and mix a bit more until you have a thick cream.

Spread the cream over each bowl. With my proportions, each bowl had half fruit and half cream, but you can do it to your liking. Add a couple more pears if you prefer a version with more fruit.
Finally, crush about 6 Maria cookies and sprinkle them on top. Of course, if you prefer the crunchiness of Maria cookies, then sprinkle them on top just before serving and that’s it! Bon appétit!

Notes & Tips: Overripe pears are actually ideal for this recipe, they cook faster, break down more beautifully, and have a deeper, sweeter flavor. Think of it as their second chance to shine.

Don’t lose sleep over the pears browning a little during cooking. It happens, and it doesn’t affect the taste one bit. A splash of lemon juice before cooking can slow it down, but since they’re going under a thick white cream anyway, no one’s going to notice anyways.

This recipe is delicious as written, but if you really want to take the pears to the next level, add a pinch of cinnamon, a little nutmeg, a hint of ground ginger, or even a touch of anise or cumin while they cook. Warm spices and pears are a classic combination for a reason, but avoid adding sugar to the pears, you want that contrast between the not so sweet pears to the sweet cream.

Maria cookies (European-style plain sweet biscuits) are traditional here in Portugal, but you can swap them for cinnamon graham crackers, chocolate wafers, or any cookie you like for a fun twist on the topping, i think a plain cookie is combines better with fruit, but you can use whatever you like.

If you can’t find mascarpone or want something a little lighter, ricotta works well as a substitute. A good quality fresh cream cheese or even farmer’s cheese will also do the job in a pinch.

This is a great make ahead dessert. Cook the pears and prepare the cream separately, refrigerate each, and assemble right before serving. The pears actually get even more tender and flavorful after resting in the fridge for a day. Just add the cookie crumble at the very last moment to keep that crunch.

The recipe as written gives roughly equal parts pear and cream per serving. If you prefer a more fruit forward bowl, simply add a couple more pears to the pan. More cream lover? Make a bit extra, it’s that easy and that quick to put together.

This recipe for Easy Poached Pears Dessert with Whipped Mascarpone Cream was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Doce de Pêra Cozida com Creme Doce de Queijo Mascarpone foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.