Description
Delight in the elegant simplicity of Red Wine Poached Pears, a classic French dessert featuring ripe, firm pears gently simmered in a fragrant mixture of red wine, honey, spices, and orange. This recipe yields tender, flavorful pears with a luscious syrup, perfect served warm or chilled with a touch of whipped cream or mascarpone for an indulgent finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit and Citrus
- 2 large oranges, navel or cara cara
- 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 into a medium bowl, then slice the remaining orange into 1/4-inch rounds.
- Peel the pears: Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pears completely, leaving them whole. Immediately add the pears to the bowl with the orange juice and toss to coat, preventing browning.
- Combine poaching ingredients: In a non-reactive pot that fits the pears snugly, place the orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and ground cardamom.
- Heat the poaching liquid: Over medium-high heat, bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, then gently add the pears and orange juice. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes, turning pears occasionally with a wooden spoon until a skewer inserted into the thickest part meets no resistance.
- Remove pears and reduce syrup: Transfer the pears back to the bowl. Increase heat to simmer the remaining liquid until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Cool and serve: Return the pears upright to the poaching liquid to cool. Serve warm or chilled, drizzling some syrup over each pear and garnish with orange zest. Optionally, add whipped cream, mascarpone, or crème fraîche on the side.
- Storage tip: Refrigerate pears in the poaching liquid overnight to enhance flavor before serving later.
Notes
- Wine poached pears taste even better the next day as flavors deepen.
- Choose small, firm pears like Anjou or Bosc to ensure they hold shape and cook evenly.
- Serve with whipped cream, mascarpone cheese, or crème fraîche for added richness.
- Use a non-reactive pot (enameled or stainless steel) to avoid discoloration from the wine and acidic ingredients.
- Carefully monitor the simmering time to avoid overly soft or mushy pears.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pear with syrup
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
