POUCHED PEARS in RED WINE

This dessert is light but rich in flavor. It would be a marvelous ending to a heavy meal or a long and cheerful entertainment.

Its deep red color makes it a perfect match also for a Valentine’s Day Dinner.

This recipe is designed to yield either 8 or 16 portions, depending on how you would prefer to present the pears.

Ingredients

8        Pears
1.5 lt. Red Wine
350 gr           Granulated sugar
5-6     Star Anise
1        Vanilla Bean (cut into half lengthwise)
8-9     Black peppercorns
1        Orange, zest
2 inches thick cinnamon stick
 
Pears
For this recipe both Anjou and Bosc pears work perfect. Always try to choose firm ones as they can stand better in cooking.

You can either poach them as a whole or in halves. If you use halves as it would be easy for you to fit them in the saucepan submerged in wine. For the wholes you may need to flip them over from time to time to attain uniform coloring and even cooking.

Poaching in halves or as a whole also depends on your preference on the portion size and how you would like to present them.

Red Wine

Any full bodied red wine would absolutely work amazing. If you choose one with spicy notes you would emphasize the spiciness of the syrup which will give even a deeper oriental taste to the dessert. If you would like to go with floral notes, that will brighten up bring the taste and the smell of the pear.

You can always substitute red wine with white. You will still get a refreshing and elegant dessert but you may sacrifice the depth in the taste and definitely the beautiful red colour.

Star Anise

Star anise is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor and has a big star shape. It is harvested from a small native evergreen tree of northeast Vietnam and southwest China.

If you don’t have star anise at home you can substitute it with 1 Tbsp of anise liquor or ½ tsp of pure anise extract. If you don’t like a lot anise flavor you can always use less or none. However it that case use whole cloves in the recipe. I would definitely recommend you to try this recipe with star anise as it creates a distinctive flavor that you won’t easily forget.

Vanilla Beans

You can easily substitute vanilla beans in this recipe with 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, however you would discover that the vanilla beans would yield a more floral and hypnotizing result.

Method

1.    Combine all the ingredients except the pears in a large saucepan.

2.    Peel and core the pears, leaving the stems intact. If you would like to serve in halves this is the time that you should cut the pear in half. Try to cut the step into half too. Put the peeled pears into the liquid. This will help to prevent the discoloring of the pears while you are peeling the rest.

3.    Arrange all the pears in the liquid in a single layer. Cover the pears and the liquid with parchment paper cut into circle to fit the saucepan. This will help you to keep the pears submerged in liquid and also control the evaporation of the liquid.

4.    Place the pears on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Bring to just below a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and allow liquid to simmer gently.

5.    Continue poaching the pears until tender, approximately 1-1.5 hours. When you check with your fingers it should be quite soft to the touch and if you pick with a toothpick you should see no resistance.

6.    Remove the pan from the heat, take out the pears carefully and place them on a plate.

7.    Return the liquid to the stove top. Reduce until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This consistency is achieved at least after the 2/3’s of the liquid evaporates.

8.    Serve the pears chilled in a pool of reduced wine syrup with whipped cream or mascarpone cheese, garnish with nuts and/or crumbled cookies.

HINT! The left wine syrup is a perfect combination with your morning pancakes. Just try!

BON APPETITE!