Red Wine poached pears are the perfect dessert for your Valentine or to impress any other time of year. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and crème fraîche, heavy cream or ice cream for a luxurious desert.
🍐Red Wine Poached Pears with Crème Fraîche 🍷
Wine recommendations from Total Wine:
🍷Domaine Brusset Laurent B Cotes de Rhone (For Cooking)
🍷Chateau Megyer Furmint Late Harvest (For Pairing)
Red Wine Poached Pears
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 slightly underripe pears
- 1 750ml bottle medium-bodied dry red wine such as Côtes du Rhone
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbs black peppercorns
- 1 2-inch cinnamon stick
- 6 whole cloves
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- Peel of 1 orange
- Crème fraîche, ice cream or heavy cream for serving
Instructions
- Peel the pears top to bottom leaving the stem and core in tact.
- Place the pears in a heavy bottomed non-reactive pot in one layer and cover with the wine, sugar, spices, herbs and orange peel. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for about 30 minutes, or until a paring knife inserts inside easily.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the pears to soup dishes, keeping the liquid in the pot.
- Heat the poaching liquid over medium-high heat uncovered, and boil until it is reduced by half, about 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Ladle the syrup over the pears. Alternatively, you can return the pears to the pot, cover them and set them in the refrigerator over night or until you are ready to serve them.
- To serve, set the pears in soup dishes and ladle over the red wine syrup, about 1/2 cup per pear. Add a dollop of creme fraiche, ice cream, or a drizzle of heavy cream.
