September in the UK is when our apples and pears ripen and I have some lovely dessert pears to use up so I thought lets go French and poach them in some red wine for a classic autumn dessert after Sunday dinner.
Grandads Cookbook is a collection of recipes from various sources reproduced here for convenience. Recipes are accredited to their original author where known and links are provided to any online source materials.
Suzy over at themediterraneandish.com has a great recipe for red wine poached pears which is both simple and delicious.
Produce From My Allotment
This recipe is one from my allotment produce collection. I try and grow as many of my favourite fruits and vegetables as possible. Fresh veg is packed full of goodness and just tastes better than shop-bought produce. Pick some sweetcorn or green beans for example and cook them within an hour or two, they taste amazing, sweet and crunchy. You can’t beat it.
I have collected together recipes which I think will bring out the best of my homegrown salad, fruit and vegetables. Just remember to wash and prepare your produce thoroughly before cooking and/or eating it. As the old saying goes “there is only one thing worse than finding a maggot in an apple and that is finding half a maggot”.
When ready to serve, drizzle the ruby-hued pears with the fragrant, sweet, spiced poaching liquid, and a little creme fraiche, custard or vanilla ice cream on the side. Easy and elegant around the holidays? Now you’re talking my language!
Red Wine Poached Pears
Ingredients
- 2 large oranges navel or cara cara oranges preferred for sweetness
- 6 ripe but firm small pears
- 2 cups red wine such as Pinot Noir or Merlot
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tbsp raw sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
Conversions
Instructions
- Zest and juice one of the oranges and pour the juice in a medium bowl. Slice the remaining orange into ¼-inch rounds.
- With a vegetable peeler, peel the pears and cut them in half length ways. Add the pears to the bowl with the orange juice and toss to coat (this will help prevent the pear from turning brown too quickly).
- Prepare a non-reactive pot that can fit all the pears snuggly (I used an enameled pot). Add the orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cardamom.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the liquid to a rolling boil, then lower the heat and add in the pears and orange juice (set the bowl aside). Cover and let simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes, occasionally rotating them using a wooden spoon, until the pears have softened enough and a skewer inserted in the middle of a pear at the thickest part meets no resistance.
- Transfer the pears back to the bowl for now. Simmer the remaining liquid for a few minutes or until thickened.
- Allow the pears to sit upright in the poaching liquid until they have cooled enough to serve.
- Serve poached pears warm or cold with a little bit of the syrup drizzled on top, and some orange zest for garnish. You can also refrigerate them in the poaching liquid overnight to serve at a later time.
You may also like one of my other favourite recipes …
