Poaching Fruit

Poached fruit, often called fruit compote or stewed fruit, is one of the simplest preparations and may be served hot or cold. For poaching, choose juicy but firm fruit that is not too ripe. Peel, core or stone the fruit, leaving it whole, or cutting it in halves or smaller pieces. Stems may be left on whole fruits for decoration or to help lift the fruit out of a hot syrup.

Fruit is poached in a simple sugar syrup until just soft enough to be cut with a spoon, but not enough to fall apart. The proportion of sugar to water in the syrup is important: with less sugar, the syrup penetrates the fruit more easily, cooking it evenly to the center. In a concentrated syrup, fruit takes longer to become tender and has less tendency to break up. Therefore whole fruits such as pears need a light syrup, while soft berries or very ripe fruits are best poached in a heavier syrup so that they keep their shape for as long as possible.