Pears Poached in Red Wine
An all-time favourite, these poached pears are very versatile. They absorb the flavours of the syrup really well, so they just get better and better as they sit. They’re a great thing to have in the fridge, either as the starting point for an easy dessert - serve with ice cream or custard, or for adding to muesli, yoghurt, or porridge.
Ingredients 8
1 l red wine, 35 fl oz/4 cups
500 g caster sugar, 1 lb 2 oz, superfine
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
1 rosemary sprig, small
3 strips orange peel, optional
1 lemon, juice and peel
6 ‒ 8 pears, just-ripe, peeled
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Method 4
Choose a non-reactive saucepan that will just hold the snugly. Pour in the and add the , , , , and and . Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5–10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the , squeezing over them as they’re done to stop them discolouring.
Add the to the pan and cover with a circle of baking paper, pressing it directly onto the surface of the liquid. Simmer for 15–20 minutes or until the pears are cooked – you should be able to easily insert the tip of a knife into the centre of the fruit. Remove from the heat and leave the pears to cool in the poaching liquid.
Store the covered in the poaching liquid, in the fridge, for up to 5 days. If you like, you can simmer some of the poaching liquid to reduce it to a syrup that will coat the pears for serving.
Cornersmith's tips
This amount of poaching liquid is enough for about 6-8 pears. If you’ve got a 750 ml bottle of wine, then just add an extra cup of water to make up 1 L, and feel free to play around with the sugar levels to suit your taste. If organised enough, you can make the poaching liquid the day before and let it sit overnight in the fridge to deepen its flavour.
