It’s stone fruit season which means it’s as good a time as any to master the delicious art of poaching fruit.
Quick and simple, all it takes to enhance the gorgeous flavours of juicy peaches, ripe plums and delicate pears is a simple syrup – and a dollop of ice-cream, of course.
Step 1: Combine two cups of sugar with two cups of water, a cinnamon stick and a split and scraped vanilla bean (check out our guide on how to use fresh vanilla beans first) in a saucepan.
Step 2: Stir the mixture over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar, then bring to the boil to turn it in to a sticky, delicious syrup.
Step 3: Lower your fruit – we’re using peaches – into the simmering syrup for 10 – 15 minutes, covered, until tender.
Step 4: Once they’re finished cooking, leave your peaches to cool before you remove the skin. The best way to do this is to pierce just under the now-wrinkled skin with a knife; the skin should then come away easily.
Serve with a generous scoop of ice-cream and a drizzle of that gorgeous cooking syrup for a quick, light dessert that no-one will be able to resist!
You don’t just have to limit poached fruit to dessert, though; jazz up your winter breakfast with poached pears layered over your creamy honey and almond porridge or add slivers of poached peaches to a simple chicken salad.
