Description
Red Wine Poached Pears is a classic French dessert featuring ripe, tender pears gently simmered in a spiced red wine and honey syrup with hints of cinnamon, cardamom, and fresh orange. This elegant dish is easy to prepare and perfect for serving warm or cold, drizzled with syrup and optionally accompanied by whipped cream or mascarpone.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits
- 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 zest and juice. Zest and juice one of the oranges and pour the juice into a medium bowl. Slice the other orange into ¼-inch rounds for poaching.
- Peel and coat pears. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pears whole, then add them to the orange juice in the bowl and toss gently to coat. This prevents browning.
- Combine poaching ingredients. In a non-reactive pot that fits all pears snugly, add orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and ground cardamom.
- Bring liquid to boil and poach pears. Heat the liquid over medium-high until it reaches a rolling boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Add pears and orange juice from the bowl. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, turning pears occasionally with a wooden spoon, until pears are tender and a skewer slides in easily.
- Remove pears and reduce syrup. Transfer pears back to the bowl. Continue simmering the poaching liquid until it thickens slightly into a syrup, about 5 minutes.
- Cool and serve. Let pears sit upright in the syrup until cooled to serving temperature. Serve warm or chilled with syrup drizzled over and a sprinkle of orange zest. Optionally, add whipped cream, mascarpone, or crème fraîche.
Notes
- Wine poached pears improve in flavor when refrigerated overnight to allow pears to absorb more syrup.
- Use small, firm pears like Anjou or Bosc to maintain shape and avoid mushiness.
- Serve with whipped cream, mascarpone cheese, or crème fraîche for added richness.
- Opt for navel or cara cara oranges for sweeter orange flavor.
- Use a non-reactive pot such as an enameled one to avoid metallic taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pear with syrup
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
