Pears Poached in Peach Juice over Chia Pudding

Poaching fruit in some kind of other fruit juice makes for a succulent, flavourful treat. Pears have a texture that holds up well and is transformed perfectly by poaching. They become extra sweet and velvety, plus they are neutral enough to take on other flavours well. I like to use bartlett pears that are just starting to soften, they should press in slightly to touch with a bit of pressure, but any variety can be nice. In the winter I usually choose orange juice, but as summer transitions into autumn there are still many juicy fruits available that can be juiced into a decadent poaching liquid. Giant freestone peaches are one of my favourites and they can produce nearly a full cup of juice per fruit. The only downside is that you need a good juicer to extract the juice, if one isn’t available then freshly squeezed orange juice is always a sturdy fallback option- it can be squeezed completely by hand or with a citrus press.Here I paired the poached pears with a really simple chia pudding but they are also very complimentary to oatmeal or yogurt bowls. To make this extra filling a handful of granola, nuts or seeds could be sprinkled over the chia pudding but chia pudding is always surprising satiating.