Pears in Spiced Red Wine
This is an absolute classic. Adjust the spice combination to your taste. I tend to use less sugar to allow the natural flavors to shine through, especially if you use a nice cabernet. In France, to finish the sauce, a tablespoon of cassis or raspberry jam is added. You can also mix in dried prunes, raisins, cherries or cranberries. Finally, before serving, make sure all cloves are removed; no one likes to bite into one of those.
Ingredients
- 3 cups or 1 bottle red wine
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 black peppercorns
- 3 star anise
- 3 cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 4 large pears
Instructions
- In a pot large enough to hold the pears, place the wine, sugar, spices and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, peel and cut the pears in half. Using a melon baller, scoop out the core. With a small paring knife, remove the inner part of the stalk, leaving the outer stem intact.
- Add the pears and lower the heat. They should be covered with the cooking liquid.
- Cover and poach gently for 10–15 minutes, turning them over occasionally to make sure they color evenly. If desired, you can place a circle of parchment paper on top of the syrup to make sure the pears remain beneath the liquid.
- Simmer until pears are soft when pierced with a knife.
- Drain and transfer pears to a serving dish or container. If you like a heavier syrup, reduce it until lightly thickened.
- Combine pears with syrup and allow to cool before serving. Keeps refrigerated up to a week. Serves 4.
About the author
Analuisa Béjar loves exploring flavor routes as the chef at her Sunny Bakery Cafe in Carmel Valley. She is a recent transplant from Mexico City, where she was a food critic, award-winning writer, editor, recipe developer, culinary teacher and organizer of Latin American gastronomy competitions.
