Saffron-Ginger Pears
Published September 27, 2023
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus overnight cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
6 small Bartlett, D’Anjou or Comice pears, slightly underripe
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron
2 thick slices of fresh ginger
Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
64 grams carbs; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 310 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram fat; 6 grams fiber; 8 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein; 52 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
Peel the pears, leaving stems intact.
- Step 2
Put wine, sugar, saffron and ginger in a stainless-steel saucepan or skillet just large enough to hold the pears in a single layer over high heat. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Step 3
Add pears and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook gently for about 20 minutes (turning occasionally if the pears aren’t fully submerged), until pears are just tender when poked with a skewer or a small, sharp knife. If time permits, allow pears to cool in their syrup in the refrigerator, preferably overnight or for up to several days.
- Step 4
Remove pears from syrup. Simmer syrup down to a thick glaze over brisk heat, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly (about 10 minutes) and pour over pears to serve. Pair with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.
Private Notes
Comments
For people who worry about the alcohol in the wine. By the time the pears are cooked the alcohol is gone. I cook poached pears a lot in red wine, it’s all syrupy in the end.
This was truly phenomenal! Don’t change a thing. The effort to taste ratio on this can’t be beat
Excellent and easy. Recommend halving and coring pears-esp if use Anjou as they are harder, I find. Would’ve done this before poach for the Anjous, but doing day of serving worked fine (albeit a bit messy). Had in fridge for 2 days turning twice a day. Used mix of Anjou and Bosc -both great. Spiced the crème fraiche with hint of fresh nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper.
My 10 year old made these for me. She skipped the wine and added water and “accidentally “ added more sugar but they were still phenomenal. I will make the real thing but I did really enjoy these!
I have made this many times and everyone loves it. Based on previous comments, I use Prosecco as the wine, cut the sugar in half, and buy my saffron at Trader Joe’s. I serve it with crème fraîche, which I also buy at Trader Joe’s. I keep the skin on the pears. I cut them in half lengthwise and use a melon ball scooper to cut out the core. These taste great prepared a few days in advance.
Easy, delicious and stunningly beautiful