Master Recipe

Poached Fruit

NOTE: Unlike other cooking methods, poaching leaves intact the shape, texture, and basic flavor of fruit, while improving its tenderness and enhancing its flavor. The cooking medium is a simple syrup made with water and sugar. Other ingredients, such as spices, herbs, or wine, can be added to the syrup ( see To Flavor Poaching Liquid).

We found that most syrups are too sweet. After extensive testing, we chose a fairly light syrup made with three parts liquid to one part sugar. This light syrup does not have the body of syrup made with more sugar, but it also is not cloyingly sweet.

In our testing, we also kept reducing the cooking time in order to keep the fruit from becoming mushy. Eventually we eliminated cooking altogether. As long as the fruit is ripe, we recommend the following method: Bring the syrup ingredients to a boil, add the fruit, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and set aside until the syrup has reached room temperature. By this time the fruit will be tender and there is no chance that it will become mushy. If poaching underripe fruit, you should simmer the fruit in the syrup for several minutes, then turn off the heat and cover the pan. Either way, when the fruit is tender, chill and serve. Serves four to six.