Description
Red Wine Poached Pears are a classic French dessert featuring ripe pears simmered gently in a spiced red wine syrup infused with orange, cinnamon, and cardamom. This elegant yet easy-to-make dessert offers tender, flavorful pears served warm or cold, perfect for special occasions or a refined everyday treat.
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
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons raw sugar, or granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Prepare Orange: Zest and juice one of the oranges and pour the juice into a medium bowl. Slice the remaining orange into ¼-inch rounds.
- Pear Preparation: Using a vegetable peeler, carefully peel the pears, keeping them whole. Add the pears to the bowl with the orange juice and toss gently to coat, helping to prevent browning.
- Assemble Poaching Pot: In a non-reactive pot that fits all pears snugly (enameled works well), add the orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and ground cardamom.
- Poach Pears: Heat the pot over medium-high until the liquid reaches a rolling boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, then add the pears and the reserved orange juice. Cover and let simmer gently for 30 minutes, occasionally rotating pears with a wooden spoon. Pears are done when a skewer inserted in the thickest part meets no resistance.
- Remove Pears: Transfer the pears back to the bowl to rest while you reduce the poaching liquid.
- Reduce Syrup: Simmer the remaining liquid for a few minutes until it thickens to a syrup consistency.
- Cool and Serve: Return pears upright into the poaching syrup while cooling. Serve warm or cold, drizzled with syrup and garnished with orange zest. Optionally refrigerate overnight in syrup for deeper flavor.
Notes
- Wine poached pears are even better the next day as the flavors intensify.
- Use small, firm pears such as Anjou or Bosc that hold their shape and do not become mushy when poached.
- For serving, drizzle the pears with syrup and add whipped cream, mascarpone, or crème fraîche for richness.
- If you don’t have raw sugar, granulated sugar works equally well.
- Ensure to use a non-reactive pot to avoid metallic flavors in the poaching liquid.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
