Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1lemon
- 6ripe but firm pears
- 2cups (480 milliliters) red wine
- ½cup (120 milliliters) water
- 3tablespoons sugar
- 3tablespoons honey
- 2whole cloves
- 1cinnamon stick
- 1whole star anise
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
246 calories; 1 gram fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 34 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 7 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Halve the lemon, and remove 3 wide strips of rind. Peel the pears, leaving a topknot of skin and the stem, if it’s attached; rub with the cut lemon. Working from the bottom, core the pears.
- Step 2
Choose a pot that will hold the pears snugly. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit inside the pot. Cut 4 slices from the lemon and put them, the strips of zest and all the other ingredients — except the pears — into the pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and add the pears, tops up — it’s O.K. if they’re not fully submerged. Cover with the paper circle and the pot’s lid.
- Step 3
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes — the pears should still be slightly firm but easily pierced with the tip of a knife; transfer them to a bowl. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes, pour over the fruit and discard the spices. Serve slightly warm, at room temperature or chilled, with or without cream.
Private Notes
Comments
I'm curious: why the parchment paper?
It's easier to core tbe pears before peeling them!
If you can find Beaujolais Village that's my favorite for this, or a light Gamay so you get the fruitiness in the wine, but that's just my personal taste. It is called Poires a la beaujolaise by Paul Bocuse though, whose instructions also include 5 black peppercorns as "indispensable". He uses an entire bottle of Beaujolais for 6 pears and makes a syrup first with 3/4 c sugar, orange and lemon slices, peppercorn, clove and cinnamon.
Excellent. And: absolutely no need to core the pears.
I use a melon baller to scoop out the core, working from the bottom of the pear. Works like a charm and they stand up on their bottoms in the pot.
The sequence of this recipe should be revised.The pot should be selected before the pears are peeled. I had to try several pots to find a snug fit, and could only poach four pears, though I made the same amount of sauce. The pears should be cored before they are peeled so you don't have to work with slippery pears. The poaching liquid should be assembled and prepared before the pears are peeled so there is less time for them to turn brown (even if rubbed with lemon).