Description
Red Wine Poached Pears are a classic French dessert featuring tender pears simmered in a fragrant mixture of red wine, honey, spices, and orange. This elegant dish is perfect to serve warm or chilled, accompanied by its luscious syrup and an optional touch of whipped cream or mascarpone for added richness.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits
- 2 large oranges, navel or cara cara oranges preferred for sweetness
- 6 ripe but firm small pears
Poaching Liquid
- 2 cups red wine such as Pinot Noir
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons raw sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Prepare the Oranges: Zest and juice one of the oranges and pour the juice into a medium bowl. Slice the remaining orange into 1/4-inch rounds to use later in the poaching liquid.
- Prepare the Pears: Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pears while leaving them whole. Add the peeled pears to the bowl with the orange juice and toss gently to coat them, which helps prevent browning.
- Combine Poaching Ingredients: In a non-reactive pot that fits all the pears snugly (such as an enameled pot), add the orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cardamom.
- Heat the Poaching Liquid: Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and gently add the pears along with the orange juice from the bowl. Cover the pot and let the pears simmer gently for 30 minutes, occasionally rotating them with a wooden spoon to ensure even poaching. Test for doneness by inserting a skewer in the thickest part of a pear; it should meet no resistance.
- Finish the Syrup: Remove the pears from the liquid and transfer them back to the bowl. Continue to simmer the poaching liquid for a few more minutes until it reduces and thickens slightly into a syrupy consistency.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the pears to sit upright in the poaching liquid until cooled to the desired temperature. Serve the pears warm or cold, drizzled with some of the syrup and garnished with orange zest. Optionally, refrigerate the pears in the poaching liquid overnight to enhance the flavors. For extra indulgence, serve with whipped cream, mascarpone cheese, or crème fraîche.
Notes
- Pro tip: Wine poached pears taste even better the next day after absorbing more flavors from the poaching liquid.
- Best pears to use are small, firm varieties like Anjou or Bosc; avoid overripe pears as they become mushy and large pears as they take longer to cook.
- For serving, drizzle syrup over the pears and add whipped cream, mascarpone, or crème fraîche for added richness.
- This dessert can be prepared ahead and refrigerated in the poaching liquid for up to 24 hours.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pear with syrup
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
