Pears Poached in Spiced Wine
""I love the rich garnet color that the pears take on after they've been poached in this fragrant spiced wine syrup," writes Laura Frankel in "Jewish Cooking for All Seasons." For the wine to use in poaching, Frankel suggests a kosher merlot by Baron Herzog."
photo by Lalaloula
- Ready In:
- 1hr 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 1 lemon zest, grated
- 6 pears (Forelle or Bosc)
directions
- Heat wine, sugar, water, peppercorns, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, vanilla bean and lemon zest to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.
- Meanwhile, remove the pear cores with a melon baller.
- Add pears to saucepan; reduce heat to a simmer. Poach the pears until tender enough for a knife to pierce them without resistance, at least 20 minutes, longer if the pears are less ripe.
- Let pears cool in the poaching liquid, about 15 minutes.
- Place the pears on a serving platter.
- Strain the poaching liquid through a sieve into a large saucepan; discard the solids. Heat the liquid to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cook until reduced to a thick syrup, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Serve the pears drizzled with the warm syrup.
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Reviews
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We made this a while ago. It was so good we made it again the next day. We didn't strain the liquid before reducing. We just took out the bay leaves, vanilla bean, cinnamon sticks and any other large enough things to pick out without burning fingers :). It came out sooooooooo good. Don't skip reducing the liquid. It's worth the time. This is a keeper. Our only regret is not serving this with ice cream or whipped cream. YUM -
Oh wow, this is one impressive dessert! It is sooo yummy, very fancy looking and super special. We all LOVED the herbs in this and the combination of sweet and savoury. Just perfect! I scaled this down to 2 pears and it was perfect! <br/>Since I was a little short on time I made my syrup in the microwave cooking the sauce for about 12 minutes on high. THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing a great, great keeper with us, Chef Kate. Ill definitely mark this for my next dinner party. Made and reviewed for our dear VIP during Veggie Swap #40 November 2011. -
These were really yummy! I never thought of putting rosemary and thyme in with pears to poach, but it worked wonderfully. Before I've only ever poached pears in white wine, this was my first time with red, and they turned out beautifully. The flesh was silky and the little puddle of syrup in the bottom of the bowl blended really well with a nice dollop of low-fat Greek style yoghurt. Thanks! -
Terrific for a Fall dessert, even for Thanksgiving. It will make your whole house smell great. I loved the mixture of sour/sweet/spicy/savory tastes here! This would be perfect for Thanksgiving as a side dish or extra dessert. The only thing I did differently was to add a few drops of vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean, and I halved the recipe and cut out some of the sugar too (I used less than 1 cup for half a recipe). Actually, that's what I recommend anyone else do, is to cut the sugar down even further. I guess it would depend on your tastes, but I just didn't think the recipe needed that much (my Bosc pears were not very ripe either). I peeled the pears though it doesn't say one way or another. I used an unkosher Merlot for the wine:D I heartily recommend this recipe!
Tweaks
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Terrific for a Fall dessert, even for Thanksgiving. It will make your whole house smell great. I loved the mixture of sour/sweet/spicy/savory tastes here! This would be perfect for Thanksgiving as a side dish or extra dessert. The only thing I did differently was to add a few drops of vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean, and I halved the recipe and cut out some of the sugar too (I used less than 1 cup for half a recipe). Actually, that's what I recommend anyone else do, is to cut the sugar down even further. I guess it would depend on your tastes, but I just didn't think the recipe needed that much (my Bosc pears were not very ripe either). I peeled the pears though it doesn't say one way or another. I used an unkosher Merlot for the wine:D I heartily recommend this recipe!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Chef Kate
Annapolis, 60
<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
