Red Wine Pears
Published October 5, 2021
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus steeping
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
6 slightly underripe small pears
1 (750-milliliter) bottle medium-bodied dry red wine, such as Côtes du Rhône
1 ¼ cups/250 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 (2-inch-long) cinnamon stick
Crème fraîche or ice cream, for serving
⅓ cup pomegranate seeds, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
70 grams carbs; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 372 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram fat; 5 grams fiber; 9 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein; 58 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Using a sharp vegetable peeler, peel the pears top to bottom, leaving them whole, with stems attached and the core intact.
- Step 2
Put the pears in a large, wide nonreactive pot (enameled or stainless steel) in one layer. Add the wine, sugar and spices. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted encounters no resistance. Remove from the heat and transfer the pears to a deep container, leaving the liquid in the pot.
- Step 3
Heat the poaching liquid over high and boil down until it is reduced by half. (You should have about 2 ½ cups syrup.) Pour syrup over pears, and refrigerate overnight if possible.
- Step 4
To serve, put each pear in a soup plate and spoon over a little of the red wine syrup. Add a dollop of crème fraîche or a scoop of ice cream, and finish with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.
Private Notes
Comments
I live in the country's greatest pear growing region, Oregon's Hood River Valley, so I make these frequently, but with a few amendments/variations. I often add strips or orange or lemon zest, whole allspice berries, a few tablespoons of brandy, or use late harvest Gewurztraminer instead of red wine. For a more savory dessert, serve with a wedge of blue cheese instead of the creme fraiche.
If you use a melon baller to take out the the core (go in from the bottom) it makes it easier to eat and the syrup flavours the pear from the inside and outside.
I make a variation on this with ground cardamom and orange peel instead of the cloves and peppercorn, using a mix of sugar / honey / orange juice as my sweetener. I have served it with crème fraîche, or ice cream, or mascarpone cheese. This is one of my go to holiday desserts
It you want to leve your guests speechless, cook this dessert…I added few orange peels. I suggest 30% less sugar, and a good red wine
A delicious dessert. I do wish I had cut them in half. Also, in the future I will put the spices in a cheesecloth bag. The peppercorns lodged into the soft flesh of the pear and I had to dig them out.
One of my favorite desserts I’ve made! This was the star of the show. Everyone loved it’, the creme fresh gives it a smooth flavor and tones down the sweetness in a delicious way! Will be making this again!