Wine Poached Pear
Pears soaked and bathed in wine, juice and spices transform themselves into luscious jewels. A very elegant dessert indeed!
Making a dessert cannot get easier than this. A few pears in one hand thrown in & slowly simmered in some wine and spices and you turn them into to treasures, you have the most beautiful looking thing; vibrant in jewel tones, sweet, spicy, buttery melt in the mouth kind. Poaching the pears brings out the natural sweetness, the wine paints the fruit and the spices adds a good burst of flavors. This dessert can also be made ahead of time. So what are we waiting for?
Wine Poached Pear
Ingredients:
- 2 Ripe but Firm Bosc or Barlett pears
- 1.5 Cup Red Wine (Pinot Noir , Shiraz or Zinfandel will do)
- 1/2 Cup Orange Juice (Freshly Squeezed or Store Bought)
- 1/2 cup Sugar (may be substituted with Honey or Nectar – adjust quantity as you will need less honey/nectar than sugar)
- 1 Tablespoon Grated Orange Rind
- 2 Whole Cloves
- 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Finger Length Cinnamon Stick
- 1/2 Teaspoon Grated Ginger
- Few Whole Peppercorns (Optional)
Note: If you are not going to use wine, try using cranberry juice or red grape juice (As suggested by a reader) to poach the pears. You might need to adjust the amount of sugar/honey as per the sweetness of the juice.
Preparation:
Peel the Pears keeping the stems intact. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear (to make them stand). Set them aside.
In a deep non reactive pot, combine the wine and sugar & bring to a boil. Add the orange rind and orange juice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and peppercorns. Simmer the liquid at low heat for about 7-10 minutes.
Add the pears to the liquid on their sides and keep the heat at medium to low to keep the liquid at a slow simmer.
Cook the pears in the liquid with the pot partly covered, for 30 – 40 minutes. (The pears will turn soft quicker if they were not firm). Turn the pears frequently to make sure the pears absorbs the color from the wine evenly on all sides.
Test to see if the pears are done by a knife end or skewer. (When done they should be tender but not mushy and falling apart).
The above steps may be made a couple of days in advance. Cool the liquid & the pears and transfer it to a container. Make sure the poaching liquid covers the pears; if it doesn’t you would have to turn the fruits around a few time to have an even color. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, remove the pears. Strain the liquid & bring the liquid to a boil & continue simmering till the liquid gets thick & slightly syrupy. (Syrupy consistency is achieved when the syrup coats the back of a spoon.)
Transfer the pears to a serving dish and pour the thickened liquid over the pear.
If you want to serve it warm, gently re heat the pear along with the syrup. Or serve it chilled with the chilled syrup.
Another way to serve: Slice the whole pears carefully & fan in out. Pour the syrup over the pears & serve with cream or mascarpone cheese. Garnish with nuts & fresh mint.
Mmmmmm. This was just fabulous. We had ours with some lightly toasted nuts & cream. Can’t wait to make some more. I love the poached pear a lot, especially when expecting guests – friends are happy with some gourmet dessert & I can make it a couple of days ahead and let the fruit soak themselves in the wine bath for a even fuller taste.
Enjoy the lovely lovey fruits & season of the Fall! Surprise & charm your family and friends with this classic, decadent dessert.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the pears with:
- Ice Cream
- Whipped Cream
- Creme Fraiche
- Mascarpone Cheese (my favorite)
- Cream or Cheese combined with crushed nuts
- Blue Cheese
- Lightly Toasted Nuts
Sending this dessert to Mansi’s Sweet Celebration.
Related Posts:
Grilled Peaches with Lemon Yogurt & Honey
Sugar Grilled Mangoes with Saffron Yogurt & Nuts
Stuffed Pear in Spiced Orange Sauce
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October 22nd, 2009 at 8:35 am
Mmmmmmmmm. What else is there to say
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:38 am
Thank you for sharing~~I really love this. Just talking to my friend yesterday about this poached pear.
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:38 am
It is a beauty! I second Sandeepa’s comment in the taste department.
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:49 am
The pears look beautiful and must taste great.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:06 am
You my friend have topped yourself yet again with an elegant, gourmet dish. Mmmmmmmm…
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:29 am
Looks gorgeous, love pears..
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:09 am
What a gorgeous color on this delicious poached pear! I love it!
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:24 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Soma Rathore and Di Wilson, Sandra Martinez. Sandra Martinez said: Wine Poached Pear | eCurry – The Recipe Blog http://bit.ly/3dHPlT [...]
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:57 am
Indeed classic n decadent..I am imagining the taste noww..mmmmmmh..
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
What a pretty color! A delicious dessert!
Cheers,
Rosa
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
This is very mouth watery !! Just lovely photograhy as usual !!
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Absolutely fantastic, Soma!Must have been heavenly..
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
It looks heavenly with that bright color! I could never think of poaching pears with wine, fantastic idea!
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:36 pm
OMG!! Thats so yummy!! Can this be done with apples or peaches?
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I love poached pears! And those colors are just amazing! We used to have this with some warm custard or vanilla sauce…. Mmmm
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
wwoww is all I can say… love the colour… and this is such an elegant dessert!
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Wow! Such a great way to use pears
Miam
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I really started mouthwatering Soma! What a vibrant colour and it has been beautifully captured!
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Wooowww!!! This is amazing!!!! I loved the combination!!! I must try this as soon as possible!!!
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Ei jah! Duto post miss kore gechi? Ki shob darun darun jinish banao Soma! Ki kore oto shundor kore slice ar arrange korle?
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Wow,what a picture Soma..you keep on torturing ..eh ?
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Wow, what a great dessert! The pictures are great too!
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by Soma_R: Luscious Wine Poached Pears – you have got to see the color! http://bit.ly/342xPd...
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:37 pm
I am stunned.thts all I can say about the looks, the recipe,the presentation and the colour of this dish..simply awesome !
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:49 am
my mouth is watering after seeing your pictures. I never really got to making such desserts, even though I thought of it a number of times.
Thank you for passing by and your wishes!
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:31 am
Wow! Wow! and Wow! That looks absolutely delicious, Soma!
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:38 am
Love your presentation!
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
This is one gorgeous dessert! The color is stunning. I like the fact that you can serve it so many different ways too. It’s a perfect ending to any meal!
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
So pretty and delicious! May I come for dinner please?
Yes you are very very welcome:-)
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Ha ha! we got that whole pear thing going on! great minds think alike!
I will most probably use the cranberry juice to poach these just because I do not drink wine or any spirits. Your color on the pear is really like a ruby and the cream sounds so yum!
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I love this color! When we were in argentina, we had a similar poached pear. They served them in wine glasses!
Oh! Why didn’t you tell me before? !:-) Serving them in wine glasses would be such a fantastic presentation. I will do that when we have guests!
October 24th, 2009 at 6:16 am
I love poached pears and this looks so so delicous.
October 24th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Wow! To me they look like a painting…treat to eyes….& i’m sure trea to tastebuds too.
October 24th, 2009 at 8:55 am
I love poached pears but never tried with wine..they look exotic!
October 24th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Simply gorgeous! I *heart* this recipe. The perfect thing to make when we have all that left-over wine after dinner parties.
October 24th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Looks so pretty Soma and has that fall festive look to it. Loved all the pictures, the last but one picture looks so classy and elegant.
October 24th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
What glorious colour!
Beautiful dessert.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:39 am
that look sooo pretty!! m sure that will taste heavenly
October 28th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
OMG!! look at that deep pink color! from white to pink in no time, and full of delicious flavors!
thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe Soma:)
October 28th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Amazing pictures soma
October 28th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Amazing pictures
October 29th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I moving to your home!
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
[...] pm Tags: desserts, pears, recipes An interesting dessert for the wine lovers. Got the recipe from ecurry (beautiful pictures too!). You’ll need: 2 firm pears (very firm!), 1.5 cup red wine, 1/2 cup [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Wow, great blog. I love reading blogs about cooking, it is my favorite hobby. The recipes on your site are incredible. I can’t wait to try them out on my family. They think I’m crazy (and maybe they are right lol) when they see me at work in the kitchen. Please take a look at my recipe web site at http://www.KAChef.com. Have a good week!
November 10th, 2009 at 8:15 am
[...] fabulous cooked pear desserts by food bloggers: Maple Syrup Poached Pears, The Perfect Pantry Wine Poached Pears, eCurry Pomegranate Poached Pears, No Recipes Poached Pears in Raspberry Sauce, Fat Free Vegan [...]
November 13th, 2009 at 9:31 am
This post was actually part of my inspiration – I had it bookmarked! The peppercorns and ginger is a good call too.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:52 am
Gorgeous dessert! Photos are great and amazing colors…
January 4th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
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