Poached Pears in Spiced Red Wine
Prep time: 35 minServes: 6
Pairs with
A dessert wine needs a dessert that isn't sweeter than it is. Poached pears sit just under the sugar of a good Sauternes — the wine finishes what the plate started.
Ingredients
- 6 firm pears, peeled with stems left on
- 1 bottle of medium-bodied red (nothing precious — a supermarket Merlot is fine)
- 200g caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- Strip of orange peel
- Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream to serve
Method
- 11. In a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears upright, combine wine, sugar, spices, vanilla, and orange peel. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- 22. Add the pears, laying them on their sides. Cover with a round of baking paper pressed against the surface to keep them submerged.
- 33. Simmer very gently for 20–25 minutes, turning the pears halfway, until a knife slides in with slight resistance.
- 44. Lift the pears out. Reduce the poaching liquid over high heat until it thickens into a glossy syrup — about 10 minutes.
- 55. Serve the pears standing up, syrup spooned over, with a generous dollop of crème fraîche on the side. Better still: chill everything overnight and serve cold.