Warming Pear Tea
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A warm and comforting aromatic pear tea (tisane) reminiscent of a non-alcoholic cider ~ a simple infusion with earthy honey-sweet flavour notes
Author:
Serves: 2.5 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 ripe pear* (I'm using organic Bosc), cut into 8 wedges (no need to peel or remove anything -- tail, seeds, skin on!)
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 slices of ginger (each about the size of 25-cent coin, skin on)
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 4 cups (32 oz//946 mL) of water
Instructions
  1. Place water in a suitably sized saucepan -- add pear slices, star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger slices and black peppercorns in the saucepan.
  2. Bring to a boil and then reduce to an active simmer (low boil) for 20 minutes without lid (set a timer).
  3. When the timer goes off, turn heat off, cover the saucepan with lid and let it sit undisturbed for another 10 minutes.
  4. Carefully strain the tea through a mesh sieve into a glass jar large enough to accommodate about 22 oz (you should end up with somewhere just over 2+1/2 cups of tea); i like to use a large pyrex measuring cup for this (see photo) which makes it easier to pour from.
  5. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to gently press down on the cooked pears and spices to release any final liquid (you're not adding the actual pulp, you just want to make sure you get all the tasty liquid to the last drop :)
  6. You can enjoy the tea warm or allow it to cool completely, store in the fridge and then enjoy at a later time. It is best not to leave this tea out on the counter at room temperature beyond the cooling period -- it will store nicely in the fridge in a covered container (mason jar with lid is ideal) for up to 10 days. You can reheat the tea as desired.
  7. enjoy!
Notes
* you can use any pear you like (I can vouch for the flavour of ripe bosc in this recipe) -- however make sure the pear you select is ripe (you should be able to slice through it easily) it need not be overripe or browned but a hard pear will not produce the taste results you're looking for here.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2023/10/warm-comforting-pear-tea.html