A simple dessert and yet surprisingly decadent. Pears poached in red wine is an ideal dish to make with pears that are not quite fully ripe.
This classic dessert can make the perfect end to a meal. Serve hot or cold with cream or ice cream.
- Prepare ahead
- Easy Entertaining
- Serve hot or cold
Simple fruit dessert
I love the simplicity of this dessert. Succulent juicy pears in a sticky spiced syrup.
While you can poach pears in white wine, tea, cider, apple juice etc, red wine remains my favourite. Firstly it produces such a beautiful colour to the dish which then contrasts to the light flesh as you break into the pear, but also the sharp tannins of the wine compliment the sweet flesh of the pear perfectly.
Ingredients
Scroll down for quantities and full printable recipe at the bottom of this post.
- Pears –Choose firm, just-ripe to slightly under-ripe pears. I've used Conference pears as I like the tall, elegant shape they have for this dish, but other varieties are fine so long as they are still firm.
- Red wine – A fruity red wine such as Merlot, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon
- Lemon juice – to add a little acidty
- Caster Sugar – I use golden caster sugar for most of my baking. It’s the same as normal caster sugar, but it’s unrefined, It is a little more flavoursome with light caramel tones.
- Spices – Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmeg
How to Poach pears in red wine step by step
Step 1
Combine the wine, lemon juice, spices and sugar in a pan and heat stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Step 2
Peel the pears and remove the caylx from the base.
Step 3
Place the pears in the saucepan and poach until tender.
Step 4
Remove pears from the pan and boil the poaching liquid until reduced. Cool and serve.
Cook's Tips
- The pears should be firm. It is an ideal dish to make with pears that are not quite fully ripe.
- Cut a thin slither off the base of the pears so that they will stand upright to serve.
- Ideally you want the red wine to completely cover the pears in the pan. Choose a saucepan in which the pears can stand up snuggly so the wine comes as high up the pears as possible. If it doesn't turn the pears a few time or spoon the syrup over the pears several times during cooking to ensure the whole pear can absorb some of the colour from the poaching liquid.
How to serve pears in red wine
You can serve them simply on their own but I like to serve them best with ice cream.
Pears poached in red wine goes really well with my Stem Ginger Ice Cream (above) and my Christmas Pudding Ice Cream(below) but good old vanilla would work well too.
As the pears can be made ahead of time they are ideal for dinner parties.
Pears Poached In Red Wine
Equipment
- large saucepan in which the pears can stand up snuggly
Ingredients
for the pears
- 6 pears
- 750 ml bottle red wine
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 125 g (4oz) golden caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- pinch grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Peel six pears leaving the stems attached. Remove the Calyx from the base of the pears. Cut a small slice from the base of the pear so that they will stand up when serving.
- Pour a bottle of red wine into a saucepan and add the juice of ½ lemon, 125g sugar, a cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and a generaous pinch grated nutmeg. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Place the pears in the wine. Cover and poach gently for 20-30 minutes until just tender, turning the fruit a few times during the cooking time.
- Remove the pears and place in a serving dish. Then remove the whole spices from the poaching syrup and return the pan to the heat. Boil rapidly until the poaching liquid is reduced by half and slightly syrupy. Allow to cool.
- Pour the syrup over the pears or spoon around the fruit when serving.
Ann-Marei says
I was wondering if these could be made in advance and reheated?
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I actually think they are nicest served cold or at room temperature but yes you can serve them warm. And yes they can be made up to 3 days in adavance. Take care when reheating not to just warm the pear through rather than cook further or they may become too soft.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
They look simply stunning, such an elegant dessert
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thank you Kat