Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Coddled Pears in Whiskey Be the first to rate & review! By Martha Stewart Test Kitchen Martha Stewart Test Kitchen The recipes developed by our test kitchen team have undergone a rigorous process of development and testing, ensuring that every element is optimal, from ingredient amounts to method and cooking time. This process includes triple-testing recipes to ensure they meet our high standards. The many stellar cooks and food editors who have been part of our team include Sarah Carey, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Jennifer Aaronson, Shira Bocar, Anna Kovel, Greg Lofts, Riley Wofford, Lauren Tyrell, and Lindsay Leopold. Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 9, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Martyn Thompson Prep Time: 15 mins Total Time: 9 hrs Servings: 12 This dessert honors America's oldest fruit tree, a pear tree brought from Europe around 1630 and planted in Massachusetts. Here, we poached Bosc pears in a Tennessee whiskey-spiked liquid perfumed with vanilla bean and orange zest. Ingredients 6 ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled, stems intact 1 cup sugar 2 ¼ cups Tennessee whiskey, such as Jack Daniel's 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped 3 strips (each 2 inches long) orange zest Vanilla ice cream and blackstrap molasses, for serving Directions Core pears from bottoms, using a small melon baller to scoop out seeds. Cut a round of parchment to the diameter of a pot just large enough to fit pears on their sides in a single layer. Bring sugar and 4 cups water to a boil in pot, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add 2 cups whiskey, vanilla bean and seeds, and orange zest. Nestle pears into liquid, laying them on their sides (if not fully submerged, add more water). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and place parchment round on top. Gently simmer until pears are just knife-tender, about 20 minutes. Carefully transfer pears to a plate with a slotted spoon. Return poaching liquid to a boil and continue boiling until reduced to 4 cups, about 10 minutes. Strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup whiskey; let cool completely. Place pears in liquid. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. Halve pears lengthwise and serve chilled, with scoops of ice cream drizzled with molasses. Rate it Print