Equipment
Ingredients
Clove Granita
- 500 ml water
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 2 g whole cloves
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Poached Pears
- 8 seckel pears, firm but ripe
- 750 ml gewurztraminer wine
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 lemon, peeled into strips
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 471 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 87 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 76 g
- Sodium
- 16 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Potassium
- 287 mg
- Calcium
- 35 mg
- Iron
- 0.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 30 mg
- Phosphorus
- 49 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.03 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.07 mg
- Niacin
- 0.4 mg
- Folate
- 11 mcg
- Water
- 394 g
- Alcohol
- 19 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the water, sugar, and whole cloves for the granita in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
Remove the granita base from the heat and let it steep for 30 minutes. Strain out the cloves through a fine mesh sieve, stir in the lemon juice, and let cool to room temperature.
Pour the cooled liquid into a shallow baking dish and place in a freezer set to -18 C / 0 F. Every 30 minutes, scrape the mixture thoroughly with a fork to break up the ice crystals until it resembles fluffy snow.
Carefully peel the Seckel pears using a vegetable peeler, leaving the stems fully intact. Slice a paper-thin sliver off the bottom of each pear so they can stand completely upright on a plate.
In a medium saucepan just large enough to hold all the pears snugly, combine the Gewurztraminer wine, sugar, lemon zest strips, vanilla bean pod, and scraped vanilla seeds. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Submerge the prepared pears in the simmering wine. Cover the surface with a parchment paper cartouche to keep them submerged. Poach gently until tender.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Allow the pears to cool entirely in their poaching liquid, which allows them to absorb the wine and aromatics as the temperature drops.
To serve, place a generous scoop of the clove granita into a chilled shallow bowl. Remove the pears from their liquid and nestle two upright into the granita per serving.
Chef's Notes
- A parchment paper cartouche is essential here; it traps the steam and keeps the small pears submerged, preventing uneven cooking and discoloration.
- Seckel pears are naturally tiny and very sweet, earning them the nickname 'sugar pears'. If you must substitute with larger Bosc or Anjou, peel, halve, and core them, and increase the poaching time.
- Do not discard the leftover poaching liquid. Once the pears are eaten, strain and reduce the remaining wine syrup to pour over pancakes, yogurt, or vanilla ice cream.
- Granita melts quickly. Always chill your serving bowls in the freezer for at least 15 minutes prior to plating to give your guests the best textural experience.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store poached pears submerged in their poaching liquid.
Freezer: 1 month — Store granita in an airtight container; scrape with a fork before serving to refresh texture.
Troubleshooting
Granita froze into a solid, impenetrable block
Cause: The mixture was not scraped frequently enough during the freezing process
Fix: Break the solid block into chunks with a heavy spoon and pulse very briefly in a food processor until flaky
Prevention: Set a strict timer for 30 minutes to agitate the ice crystals consistently as they form
Pears are mushy and falling apart
Cause: The poaching liquid was at a rolling boil rather than a gentle simmer, or pears were left on heat too long
Fix: Puree the broken pears with a splash of the poaching liquid to serve as a compote under the granita
Prevention: Monitor the heat carefully to maintain a bare simmer and check doneness early with a thin knife
Pears oxidized and turned brown before poaching
Cause: Pears sat exposed to air for too long after peeling
Fix: Cannot be fixed once heavily oxidized, but the wine poaching will mask slight browning
Prevention: Keep peeled pears submerged in cold lemon water until ready to drop into the simmering wine
Cultural Context
Seckel pears are uniquely American, discovered as a wild seedling near Philadelphia in the early 19th century. In this dessert, their natural heirloom sweetness is elevated through the classic French technique of wine poaching. The pairing of aromatic Gewurztraminer from the Alsace region with an Italian-style granita creates a refined, cross-cultural autumnal dessert.
