Poached Pears With Mascarpone Cream

While apples steal all the spotlight in fall baking and autumn desserts, I never think of pears beyond eating them fresh or slicing them into salads.

But the other day, I came across a poached pears recipe, and that got me really excited! Since my baked apples and mascarpone dessert was a total hit with my family, I just knew that they would love roasted pears served with the nice, cinnamon-y mascarpone fluff as well.

And I was right!

These poached pears with mascarpone cream tasted AMAZING, and everybody wanted seconds. Since then, it has become one of our favorite fall desserts.

The bowls of baked pears on top of a fluffy mascarpone cream look really elegant, so I’ve even served them as a party dessert at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but because this treat is so easy to make, we often have it during regular weeknights as well.

Poached pears with mascarpone cream - a dessert with cinnamon and pumpkin spiced oven-roasted pears served with a fluffy mascarpone and Greek yogurt cream.

What You’ll Need

For this recipe, you’ll need just a few fresh ingredients and some pantry staples:

Pears – Choose pears that are ripe but still firm when you lightly squeeze them, so they hold their shape while baking.
Water and butter that will create a delicious juice together with the spices and sugar. You’ll use that to baste the pears while they’re roasting.
Sweeteners and spices – This dessert is sweetened with maple syrup, coconut sugar, and powdered sugar (or sweetener) and flavored with cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract.
Mascarpone cheese and Greek yogurt for the fluffy cream.
Crushed pistachios for topping

How to Make These Roasted Pears With a Mascarpone Cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F and start prepping your pears.

Thoroughly wash them, then slice them in half, and carefully scoop out the cores from both halves.

Place the pears cut-side up in your baking dish, then drizzle them with maple syrup and top with coconut sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon and pumpkin spice, then add a bit of water and butter to the dish.

The butter will melt and mix with the water and juices from the pears. Then, when you baste the pears to help keep them moist, the sugar and maple syrup will melt into the mix and create a delicious light syrup that we’ll later use for serving.

Now, put your baking tray in the oven and bake the first side for about 20-25 minutes, basting the pears with the pan juices two or three times to help them stay soft and moist on top.

After about 25 minutes, flip the pears over and bake them for another 20-25 minutes, again basting with the pan juices two or three times. The pears are ready when they’re soft all the way through, but they’re still holding their shape. Remove the pears from the oven and let them cool completely.

While the pears are cooling, make the mascarpone fluff.

In a large bowl, mix together the mascarpone cheese, Greek yogurt, powdered sugar (or sweetener), vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice, and whisk until the mixture becomes smooth and slightly fluffy. Then taste the cream to see whether you need to adjust the sugar content.

I prefer to let the sweetness from the pears and maple syrup do all the talking, so I usually keep the cream base only lightly sweetened. If you prefer a sweeter dessert, you can add a bit more sugar.

Keep the mascarpone fluff in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble your dessert.

When the pears have cooled and it’s dessert time, spoon the mascarpone cream into bowls, then place the pears on top (two halves if they’re small, one if they’re large). Drizzle the pears and cream with juices from the pan and sprinkle with crushed pistachios.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It looks really elegant but is actually very easy to make. This recipe is perfect when you don’t want to spend too much time on making dessert, but still want to serve something that looks nice and a little bit fancy. It’s great for the busy holiday party season or a low-effort weeknight dessert.
It tastes amazing and totally decadent, yet is made with a lighter cream that is not overly heavy.
It’s make-ahead friendly. You can roast the pears and make the cream earlier in the day, so you don’t have to rush when it’s time for dessert.
Tastes great all year round. It’s perfect for the fall and winter season with its blend of warm spices and caramelly maple syrup, but the juicy pears and creamy mascarpone keep things fresh in the summer, too.
It’s perfect for parties and the holidays with its beautiful presentation – the pan juices add a nice gloss to the pears, and the green pistachios bring a gorgeous pop of color.

Tips for Success

Use pears that are ripe but still firm. You need this balance to get the best taste and texture – if your pears aren’t ripe, the dessert will taste totally bland, but if they’re too ripe, they’ll fall apart during roasting.
Don’t skip the basting step! Basting the pears every so often will help keep them moist and prevent them from drying out on the top.
Make sure to taste the cream before serving, so you can adjust the sugar content.
For an even fancier finish, toast the pistachios lightly before sprinkling them on top. This will make them more crunchy and bring out their delicious nutty flavor.