Poached pear flatbread

This dinner started out with a desire to poach some pears! We've heard about doing it and seen it done on cooking shows, and I was really interested to see how they would turn out at home. I'm not a fan of pears typically. They always taste dry to me, so I hardly eat them. I'm happy to report this method of cooking soaked up so much flavor that the pears ended up juicy like crazy!

Hubby and I got two green pears and two red pears, which I didn't know existed. They all had to be peeled before entering the red wine mixture, but the red ones were really pretty on their own. I took a picture to prove it.

Basically, you peel the pears, sit them upright in the pan after cutting off the bottoms for a level playing field, and watch them soak up some red wine lovin'! Of course you could do white wine if you'd prefer

Post-poaching!

Of course I had to make the flatbread by hand, so that ended up really fun! Unfortunately, we don't have a grill pan, but our George Foreman grill did the job. Honestly, I don't recall the exact recipe I used, but the one I posted below looks pretty darn identical

In the end, our flatbread turned out so stinkin' pretty! The greens and purple pears really popped on the plate. I threw some gorgonzola cheese on mine, but it really didn't need it. I think it would be fun to make mini versions of this should we ever be able to host any parties or whatnot. These would be a really fun appetizer!

Spiced Poached Pears

From Ellie Krieger @ Food Network

Ingredients

2 cups dry red wine, such as cabernet or merlot

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 orange, juiced (about 1/2 cup)

1 (1 by 3-inch) strip orange zest

1 cinnamon stick

2 cloves

4 firm, ripe pears

Directions

In a 4-quart saucepan, combine wine, sugar, orange juice, zest, cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. While liquid is simmering, peel pears, leaving stem intact and being careful not to blemish the flesh of the pears. Slice 1/2-inch off the bottom of the pears to create a flat bottom. Gently place pears in poaching liquid, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to ensure even color, until pears are cooked but still firm. Remove saucepan from flame, uncover and cool with pears upright in pan. Once cool, cover and chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally, if desired. Gently remove pears from liquid and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, reduce liquid by about half over a medium-high flame for 15 minutes, until liquid is thicker and slightly syrupy. Remove from flame and let liquid come to room temperature. Drizzle each pear with 2 tablespoons syrup and serve.

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Homemade Flatbread courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients
1 package active yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3/4 cup water (might need more)
1 teaspoon oil
Directions
In the bowl of a food processor combine the yeast, sugar, flour, salt and thyme. Pulse to combine. Add the water in a steady stream until the dough begins to form a ball, turn it on to a board and knead with the heel of your hand until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Coat a bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Put in a warm spot to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough, scrape it onto the counter and knead it lightly into a smooth ball. Cut into 20 pieces and with a rolling pin roll out to form very flat 5 to 6-inch circles.

Preheat a stove top grill pan over medium high. Do not oil. Place bread on hot grill and cook without touching it until you see bubbles on the surface, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and continue to cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until bread has puffed up. Serve immediately