December 1, 2020

Smoky and Spiced Pear Simple Syrup

By Derek Bissonnette

Print Recipe

Makes

ounces

Ingredients

1 pear firm, not overripe
2 cinnamon sticks
3 black peppercorns
2 star anise pods
2 cardamom pods
6 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Peel the pear, cut into 8 segments, and remove seeds. Heat a grill pan, sauté pan, or your grill to medium-high heat. Place the pear segments in the pan or on the grill and cook until golden brown and sporting defined grill marks. Cover and infuse the smoke for 10 minutes.
Remove the grilled pears and set aside.
In a small pan over low heat, toast cinnamon, peppercorns, star anise, and cardamom pods, stirring often, until fragrant (3–4 minutes). Add 1 ½ cups water and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add pear segments to the pan and return syrup to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove, cover, and set aside for an hour to poach pears. Remove pears from syrup and set aside. Place syrup over medium-high heat; simmer to reduce by it half. Strain syrup and cool completely before using.

About the author

Derek Bissonnette

When Derek Bissonnette was 16 he landed his first kitchen gig, at a bakery in Searsport, Maine. He went on to study baking and pastry at the Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 2000. He got hired as the pastry chef at Kennebunk’s estimable White Barn Inn, jumped to the renowned Inn at Little Washington in rural Virginia, and then joined the kitchen at an elegant English countryside hotel, The Summer Lodge Country House Hotel and Spa. In 2009, he returned to Maine and the White Barn. In 2015, he was promoted to executive chef. After Bissonnette took over the White Barn kitchen, he started toting a camera to work to create a visual record of dishes he and his staff came up with. Photography clicked with him. “Making food look great is something I’ve always strived for,” he says. “To do that through a fresh medium was exciting.” In 2017, he gave up his apron to pursue photography full time. Shortly after leaving the White Barn, Derek partnered with Cider Mill Press and Countryman Press to create five cook books: The Ultimate Books of Soups and Stews: Signed by the author Dumplings: Over 100 Recipes from the Heart of China to the Coasts of Italy The Maine Farm Table Cookbook: Signed by the author Soups: Over 100 Soups, Stews and Chowders On Board: Inspiration Ideas and Recipes for Exceptional Entertaining