Description
Red Wine Poached Pears are a classic French dessert featuring ripe but firm pears simmered gently in a fragrant mixture of red wine, honey, orange, and warming spices. The pears soften beautifully while absorbing the rich, spiced syrup, creating a luscious, elegant treat perfect for serving warm or chilled.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit
- 2 large oranges, navel or cara cara oranges preferred for sweetness
- 6 ripe but firm small pears
Poaching Liquid
- 2 cups red wine such as Pinot Noir
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons raw sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Prepare Orange Juice and Slices: Zest and juice one orange and pour the juice into a medium bowl. Slice the remaining orange into ¼-inch rounds and set aside.
- Peel and Coat Pears: Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pears completely, keeping them whole. Add the pears to the bowl with the orange juice and toss gently to coat and prevent browning.
- Combine Poaching Ingredients: In a non-reactive pot that fits all the pears snugly, add the orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and ground cardamom.
- Cook Poaching Liquid: Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a rolling boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and honey.
- Poach Pears: Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, add the pears and the reserved orange juice, then cover. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, rotating the pears occasionally with a wooden spoon until tender when pierced with a skewer.
- Remove Pears and Thicken Syrup: Transfer the pears back into the bowl while you continue simmering the liquid for a few more minutes until it thickens to a syrupy consistency.
- Cool and Serve: Return pears upright into the syrup and allow them to cool to serving temperature. Serve warm or chilled, drizzled with the syrup and garnished with orange zest or a dollop of whipped cream, mascarpone, or crème fraîche if desired.
Notes
- Wine poached pears taste even better the next day after resting in the poaching liquid to absorb more flavor.
- Use small, firm pears such as Anjou or Bosc for best texture; avoid overly large or overripe pears to prevent mushiness.
- Serve with a drizzle of the thickened syrup and optionally add whipped cream, mascarpone, or crème fraîche for richness.
- The poaching pot should be non-reactive (enameled or stainless steel) to prevent any metallic taste from leaching into the fruit or liquid.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pear with syrup
- Calories: 160 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
