Poached Pears Recipe
French · Dessert · 40 min total
Elegant yet simple, these poached pears are gently simmered in a spiced red wine syrup until tender and infused with flavor. Perfect for a sophisticated dessert or a festive occasion.
10
min prep
min prep
30
min cook
min cook
4
servings
servings
320
kcal/serving
kcal/serving
Ingredients
- 4 firm but ripe Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled with stems intact
- 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine, such as Merlot or Pinot Noir
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 strip orange zest (about 3 inches)
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine red wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, orange zest, and vanilla bean (if using extract, add later). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
- Reduce heat to low. Add pears, laying them on their sides. If needed, add water to ensure pears are mostly submerged. Place a round of parchment paper directly on the surface to keep pears submerged.
- Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, turning pears occasionally, until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from heat.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a dish. If using vanilla extract, stir it into the poaching liquid now. Increase heat to high and boil the liquid until reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes, to make a syrup.
- Remove cinnamon stick, cloves, orange zest, and vanilla bean pod (if used). Let syrup cool slightly. Serve pears warm or chilled, drizzled with syrup.
Tips
- Pears can be poached up to 2 days ahead and stored in the syrup in the refrigerator.
- Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.
- For a non-alcoholic version, substitute red wine with pomegranate juice or grape juice and add 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
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