Description
Stunning red pears make for a beautiful centerpiece.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 cups dry red wine (e.g., Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tsp whole cardamon pods
- ½ tsp whole coriander seeds
- 1” fresh ginger, cut into 4 slices
- Zest of one lemon (cut in strips with vegetable peeler)
- 6 to 8 firm Bosc Pears, peeled and cored, and trimmed to have a flat base**
- 2 tsp Vnlla Cncept Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a nine-quart Dutch oven, add sugar, wine, spices and zest. Put on high heat and stir until the mixture is steaming. Turn heat to low.
- Stand 6 to 8 pears upright in the liquid. 6 makes for easier maneuvering but 8 is fine. Baste them with a large spoon. Cover tightly and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Baste them again, and tip them over gently so that one side is immersed in wine. Stir very gently. Cover tightly and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Using two spoons, turn the pears so that the uncolored side is immersed in wine. Stir very gently. Cover tightly and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Using a sharp paring knife, check the thickest part of the largest pear for tenderness. If it is not tender all the way through, flip the pears again, and simmer for another 10 minutes and check again. Cook until tender.
- Once tender, remove the pears with two spoons and stand them on a large plate or platter. Once cool, cover with cling film and set aside.
- Remove the whole spices. Reduce the poaching liquid over a low flame, stirring every couple of minutes until it has a syrupy consistency and can coat the back of a spoon. Stir in vanilla extract. Reduce a little more if necessary, but only a little to let the vanilla come through fully.
- Cover the Dutch oven until serving time, at which point, gently warm the syrup a bit. Plate the pears individually with a scoop of vanilla icing. Drizzle with warm syrup. Serve quickly!
- Keep extra syrup in a jar for future ice cream desserts.
- If you have any leftover pears, refrigerate until the next day. Using a sheet of store-bought pie crust defrosted according to package instructions, make a galette!
- Place a round of pie crust on a foil- or Silpat-covered baking sheet. Place thin slices of poached pear over the crust, leaving at least an inch uncovered around all edges.
- Once the pear slices are placed, fold up the uncovered edges to create a crust. Brush with eggwash. Bake until crust is golden brown. Serve on its own or with ice cream. Drizzle with extra syrup.
- Refrigerate extra syrup in a lidded jar. Drizzle over ice cream and/or fresh berries. Make a kir cocktail by stirring a few spoons into white wine or champagne. Don’t waste a drop.
Notes
We have also used wonderful Asian Pears from Subarashii Kudamono for this recipe and would happily do so again!