What to Serve with Poached Pears? 7 BEST Side Dishes

Poached pears, folks. They’re elegant. Think of them as the ballerinas of dessert. Smooth, sweet, yet somehow sophisticated.

We’re always stumped on what to put beside them. It’s like deciding on a plus-one for a high-class party.

Remember the time we tried ice cream? Ended up too cold. Then there was the cheese board experiment. A bit better, but still not quite there.

We’ve gone through the trials so you don’t have to. Below, we lay out the seven best side kicks for your poached pears. Prepare to be enlightened.

No more serving them solo.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Poached Pears?

The truth is poached pears do not always need a side dish.

If you are looking for something simple for dessert, they make an excellent choice.

But then, they tend to be too sweet when poached, so you cannot have too many of them.

A side dish will not just enhance the taste, but it will also make them look better.

Things change when you have some guests over.

You cannot really go wrong with poached pears, but they will not impress with their appearance.

A bit of extra will make them look more sophisticated.

What to Serve with Poached Pears? 7 BEST Side Dishes

Here are some great ideas when not sure what to serve with poached pears.

1. Vanilla Ice Cream

Poached pears are slightly warm – that, if you poach them before serving.

The combo of hot and cold will surprise everyone, but it will also look great.

You can come up with a scoop of ice cream close to the pears or simply put the ice cream on top.

The ice cream will slowly melt into the pears, adding to the overall combo.

In terms of flavor, vanilla is distinctive, but also mild.

Therefore, the pears will dominate the dish with a nice touch of extra flavor.

2. Hot Pancakes

At this point, your options are more diversified.

Apart from pancakes, you can also use waffles or crepes.

The serving is straightforward and easy – use the pancake as a base and put a couple of poached pears on top, depending on their size.

The syrup from pears will slowly go into the pancakes, making them sweeter and softer.

When it comes to the actual aroma, you will love the grainy and slightly sweet pancakes with the super sweet pears.

This type of mix may feel a bit heavy, so have it in moderation, or it becomes nauseous.

3. Mascarpone and Almonds

This is the type of serving you expect to get in a fancy restaurant.

The taste will impress, but the appearance is just as important.

The poached pear goes in the middle and represents the focal point.

A bit of mascarpone around it will add to the soft texture, but it will also enhance the taste with its mild aroma.

Almonds should be sliced – you might as well opt for crushed almonds.

Spread them around, and their nutty flavor will take everything to another level.

The secret is in the taste, but in this case, the appearance will also impress.

4. Espresso and Cherry

This is another combo that will leave your guests speechless.

While poached pears can get extremely sweet, this mix will make them easier to enjoy without feeling nauseous.

Furthermore, this mix makes a killer combination of sweet and bitter.

You need one espresso – any type of strong coffee will do – as a base.

It goes on the bottom.

The poached pears go on top, as well as a few cherries.

Both the pears and cherries will absorb the bitter espresso, but their natural sweetness will ensure a delicious final result.

Moreover, this dish takes a few minutes to prepare.

5. Chocolate Pudding and Almonds

The chocolate pudding becomes the base in this case.

It has a strong flavor that will compensate for the sweetness in pears.

The two will work wonders together, but they are so sweet that they could make you feel heavy.

You need something to balance them out.

This is when almonds kick in – not full almonds, but crushed almonds.

Spread them around, and feel free to exaggerate.

Almonds will absorb the juices in the other ingredients.

They have a nutty flavor that works well with the combo and can make your dessert feel a bit lighter.

6. Caramel Sauce

Whether you make the sauce yourself or you buy it from commerce, this option is great if you keep the sauce mild and light.

Pears are sweet enough anyway.

If you come up with sweet sauce, you will have a calorie bomb that will make you feel nauseous after a single serving.

Preparing this combo is fairly simple – use the caramel sauce as a base and get the poached pears on top.

It might be a good idea to have the pears sliced.

This way, the caramel sauce can literally cover the whole base in its sweetness.

7. Bourbon and Spices

This combo is for the whiskey lover, but there is one catch – not allowed for kids.

Moreover, make sure your guests know there is alcohol in this dish – especially if some of them drive.

The taste differs based on how you prepare this dish.

For maximum effectiveness, get the spices on the pears and then put the pears on a base of whiskey.

The whiskey will get into the pears from the bottom, while the spices on top will enhance them within seconds only.

If you can, try to find Indian spices for this mix.

Conclusion

In the end, figuring out what to serve with poached pears will give you lots of good options.

There are plenty of extras you can add next to poached pears to enhance them or maybe ameliorate some of their heavy profile.

What is more important to remember is the fact that side dishes for this dessert should actually be mixed in and not placed close to the pears.

Other than that, each of the above-mentioned desserts will barely take minutes to prepare – your focus is on the poached pears.