Poached pears

Poached pears are a beautiful and warm desert designed to impress your dinner party guests.

Poached pears
Recipe AuthorAlice Cameron
Date2 January 2020
People4
MachineManual Mode
Preparation time 6 Minutes
Cooking time 1 Hour 2 Minutes
Total time 1 Hour 8 Minutes

Elegant and impressive looking, poached pears are such a treat! This classic French dessert is guaranteed to impress and they are deceptively easy to whip up!

As they poach in the red wine the outside turns a deep burgundy while the inside stays the same – giving it a beautiful ombre effect. They are spiced with cinnamon and vanilla giving this recipe a wonderful and festive taste.

They are great served with a drizzle of the red wine sauce they have been poaching with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce or whipped cream on the side.

Make sure to choose perfectly ripe pears, if they are underripe they won’t poach well and if they are too ripe they will become soggy and nobody wants that!

Ingredient list

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Red wine 750ml
Caster sugar 200g
Cinnamon 2unitssticks
Vanilla pod 1units
Pear 4units

Tools

Peeler
Peeler
Saucepan
Saucepan
Slotted spoon
Slotted spoon
Spoon
Spoon

Step nr: 1 - Peel pears

Ingredient list for step nr: 1

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Pear 4units
Preparation time 2 Minutes
Total time 2 Minutes
PeelerPeeler

Peel the pears and set aside.

Step nr: 2 - Mix ingredients

Ingredient list for step nr: 2

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Red wine 750milliliter
Caster sugar 200gram
Cinnamon 2units
Vanilla pod 1units
Pear 4units
Cooking time 2 Minutes
Total time 2 Minutes
SaucepanSaucepan

Take a deep saucepan and add the wine, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Gently heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Step nr: 3 - Poach pears

Ingredient list for step nr: 3

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Red wine 750milliliter
Caster sugar 200gram
Cinnamon 2units
Vanilla pod 1units
Pear 4units
Cooking time 30 Minutes
Total time 30 Minutes
SaucepanSaucepan

Add the pears to the saucepan making sure they are fully covered. Simmer until they are tender.

Keep checking them, if they are very ripe they may need less time.

Step nr: 4 - Set pears aside

Ingredient list for step nr: 4

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Pear 4units
Preparation time 2 Minutes
Total time 2 Minutes
SaucepanSaucepan
Slotted spoonSlotted spoon

Remove the pears from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Step nr: 5 - Reduce sauce

Cooking time 30 Minutes
Total time 30 Minutes
SaucepanSaucepan

Bring the wine mixture to the boil and continue cooking until has reduced slightly and thickened slightly.

Step nr: 6 - Serve

Ingredient list for step nr: 6

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Pear 0units
Preparation time 2 Minutes
Total time 2 Minutes
SpoonSpoon

Pour the sauce back on to the pears and serve warm or cool. You can also add a dollop of creme fraiche or ice cream on the side. they will last for up to 2 days in the fridge.