Red Wine Poached Pears
Tender whole pears gently poached with red wine, warm spices, and citrus, then served with a rich, glossy wine sauce.
Equipment
- Deep saucepan with lid
- slotted spoon
- Fine mesh sieve
- deep serving dish or 6 individual dishes
Ingredients
- 6 large pears ripe but firm
- 750 ml red wine 750 ml red wine, divided
- ½ cup soft brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot or 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 5 whole cloves
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 small orange
- Fresh cream or crème fraîche optional for serving
Instructions
- Mix the arrowroot with 2 tablespoons of the red wine until smooth; set aside.
- Put the remaining wine in a deep saucepan with the brown sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, lemon zest, and orange zest. Warm gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Peel the pears carefully, leaving the stalks attached. A potato peeler will allow for a less waste of the pear flesh than a paring knife. Your choice.
- Place the pears in the wine mixture, cover, and poach at a gentle simmer for about 20 minutes, or until tender but still holding their shape. Turn carefully during cooking if needed for even color.
- Lift the pears out with a slotted spoon and place them in a deep serving dish or individual dishes.
- Strain the poaching wine through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the cinnamon, cloves, and citrus zest.
- Return the wine to the saucepan. Stir the arrowroot mixture again, add it to the wine, and cook over low heat while stirring until lightly thickened.
- Pour the sauce over the pears and allow them to cool. Serve as they are or with fresh cream or crème fraîche.
Notes
- Choose ripe-but-firm pears so they become tender without collapsing.
- Comice pears are excellent; Bosc, Bartlett, Concorde, or Asian pears are suitable alternatives.
- Arrowroot gives the clearest sauce and has little flavor. Cornstarch works if arrowroot is unavailable.
- Poaching time varies with pear size, variety, and ripeness. Test the thickest part with a small knife.
- This recipe contains alcohol. Cooking does not reliably remove all of it.
- The pears may be prepared ahead and refrigerated in their sauce once completely cool.
Nutrition
Calories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.05gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 13mgPotassium: 396mgFiber: 6gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 49IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 1mg
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