Red Wine Poached Pears
These red wine poached pears simmer with orange, honey, cinnamon, and cardamom until tender. Serve them warm, at room temperature, or chilled with the reduced poaching syrup and a dollop of crème fraîche, mascarpone, or whipped cream. They taste even better after resting overnight, making them an ideal make-ahead dessert.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 2 large oranges, Navel or Cara Cara oranges preferred for sweetness
- 6 small pears, ripe but firm
- 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 the oranges. Zest and juice one orange, pouring the juice into a medium bowl. Set the zest aside for serving. Slice the remaining orange into 1/4-inch rounds.
- Prepare the pears. Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler, leaving them whole. Add them to the bowl with the orange juice and toss gently to coat. This will help prevent the pears from browning too quickly.
- Prepare the poaching liquid. Choose a nonreactive pot that can hold all six pears snugly. Add the orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cardamom.
- Poach the pears. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat, then add the pears and orange juice. Cover and gently simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, occasionally rotating the pears with a wooden spoon. The pears are ready when a skewer inserted into the thickest part meets no resistance.
- Reduce the liquid. Transfer the pears back to the reserved bowl. Simmer the remaining poaching liquid for a few minutes, or until it has thickened to the consistency of a runny syrup.
- Cool the pears. Return the pears to the pot and allow them to stand upright in the poaching liquid until cool enough to serve.
- Serve. Serve the poached pears warm or cold with some of the syrup drizzled over the top and the reserved orange zest for garnish. You can also refrigerate the pears in their poaching liquid overnight.
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit The Mediterranean Dish Shop for aromatic Greek honey and ground cardamom.
- Choose firm pears: Use small, ripe but firm pears that will hold their shape during poaching. Bosc and Anjou pears are my preferred varieties for this recipe.
- Check for doneness: Insert a skewer into the thickest part of a pear. It should meet no resistance, but the pear should remain intact.
- Make ahead: The pears taste even better the next day after they have had time to absorb more flavor from the poaching liquid.
- Storage: Once cooled, refrigerate the pears with their poaching liquid in a tightly covered glass container for up to 5 days. Avoid packing them together too tightly.
- Serving: Drizzle each pear with the reduced poaching syrup. For added richness, serve with whipped cream, mascarpone, crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream.
- Non-alcoholic option: Replace the red wine with 2 cups of non-alcoholic wine. Alternatively, use 2 cups of apple or grape juice mixed with 5 to 6 tablespoons of lemon juice, or substitute a tart juice such as cranberry juice.
Nutrition
Calories: 257.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.9g | Protein: 1.2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.05g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 3.1mg | Potassium: 296.5mg | Fiber: 6.9g | Sugar: 38.9g | Vitamin A: 161.5IU | Vitamin C: 35.3mg | Calcium: 43.8mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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