Poached pear is such a classic and elegant dessert. You can poach pears in either white or red wine. they are all very delicious. However, when poached in red wine, pears take on a gorgeous crimson blush. The jewel-like tone of their color are just gorgeous!
Here, I did half recipe. But I will explain everything with what the full recipe should be;You will need 6 pears that are ripe, but firm, and preferably stem intact. Bosc and Bartlett pears are the best varieties for poaching. However, any firm pears would come out very well.
Those pears need to be completely and nicely peeled. Leave the stem on! It makes a beautiful presentation. Some recipes suggest coring through the bottom of pears. Here, I just peeled the skin.
Put the following ingredients in a proper-sized saucepan; 1 bottle red wine (750 ml), 3/4 cup orange juice, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 star anise. Bring it to a boil and the sugar is dissolved. Add the pear, and make sure they can be completely submerged. They will float, but there should be room for them to all be covered by the poaching liquid. Cover and lower the heat to keep it simmered. Check on it from time to time, and turn pears so the liquid can evenly coat them. 
After 1 1/2 - 2 hours, pears should have a nice color like this! And they should be soft, but not mushy. Turn off the heat, and let them cool. At this point, they are ready to serve, warm or cold.
The poaching liquid tastes delicious as it is, and can be used as a light sauce (as I did here). Or you can bring liquid to a boil again, and then lower the heat to keep simmering, until thickened. Then, ta-dah! -- you have a syrup to drizzle over your poached pears.
Serve your poached pears whole, halves, or slices -- as you like. I sliced the halve and fanned it out on serving plate. Mints are great garnish. Then, drizzle some poaching syrup over the pears.
Finally, serve them with your favorite: either vanilla ice cream, mascapone cheese, sabayon sauce, whipped cream, or vanilla sauce. Pears poached in red wine have deep flavor that I really enjoy. I also love the texture and the buttery flavor of them. Can you believe how simple it is to make this elegant dessert, that could go even with the fanciest dinner party?
So pretty! I've wanted to make Poached Pears for the longest time and I think you just convinced me to do it! Red wine is now on the shopping list!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos. I think I need to make this...I have about 15 lbs of pears! Most will become jam, but perhaps a few of the prettiest can be made into this dessert!
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