Red Wine and Cranberry Poached Pears

Things have been a little crazy around here. I was slowly going through all the ceramics, linens and cookware I’ve accumulated over the years for my food photography material, in order to hold a studio sale with the hope of lightening the packing load for when we move next year . But my God it was an exhausting process. And now, as I write this, I’m sitting in the middle of our living room/office, surrounded by piles of vintage plates, cutlery and aprons and feeling very lost. But tomorrow! Tomorrow is the studio sale! So now that the tables are all set and everything is priced (which is a mentally taxing task in itself), I really REALLY hope we can sell most of it and I don’t have to worry about what to do with it anymore. But that’s not really what I wanted to talk to you about today… we should talk about pears instead! Or delicious, vibrant pears poached in red wine, in particular.

I know Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season are coming up very soon, so I wanted to make a dessert recipe that was simpler than a cake but still had the same amount of panache. Because there’s something fun and special about putting a dish on the table that makes you go berserk while sitting down.”ooooohhhhhh!” And these red wine poached pears definitely will. Because in addition to red wine, they’re *also* poached with frozen cherries, cranberries, anise, cinnamon, cloves, honey, and vanilla bean. In short, they’re damn tasty, and all that extra red fruit adds an even deeper hue to the cooking liquid, which then transfers to the pears.

You may notice that in the photos some pears are cut in half and others are whole. You can do them both ways, honestly. If you want the halves to be red, you need to cut the pear in half before poaching. But if you want to get fancy and serve pears individually plated and sitting upright, you’ll need to boil them whole and then cut off the bottom 1/2 inch from the pear so it can easily stand up without falling over. It just depends on your serving preferences. In any case I recommend serving them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is especially good if you serve the pears hot with a drizzle of cooking liquid. You can also easily make them ahead of time and store them in the cooking liquid overnight after it has cooled to room temperature, then reheat them on the stovetop before serving. Have fun, my friends, and wish me good luck with the sale!!

Pears poached in red wine and cranberries

These red wine poached pears are easy and delicious, with added cranberries, vanilla, cinnamon, cherries and honey.

Total time 1 Now 30 minutes

• 1
  bottle of dry red wine
  about 3 ¼ cups such as Cotes du Rhone, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvingon
• 1
  cup
  waterfall
• Juice of 2 oranges
  about ¾ cup
• Zest of 2 oranges
• ¾
  cup
  cane sugar
• ¼
  cup
  Honey
• 1
  cup
  organic frozen cranberries
• 1
  cup
  organic frozen cherries
• ½
  teaspoon
  whole segments
• 1
  cinnamon stick
• 1
  vanilla pod
  cut in half lengthwise with the centers scraped into the poaching liquid and throw in the beans too
• 1
  whole star anise
• 5
  ripe but firm pears
  ideally Bosco
• ¼
  cup
  brown sugar to thicken the cooking liquid
• Vanilla ice cream
  to serve (optional)

1. Bring all ingredients except pears to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the cherries and cranberries have softened and started to release their juices into the cooking liquid.

2. Towards the end of the boil, peel the pears, keeping the stems (they look nice!) You may notice that in the photos some pears are cut in half, while others are whole. You can do them both ways, honestly. If you want the inner half to be red and to serve them lying on your sides, you must cut the pear in half before poaching it. But if you want to get fancy and serve individually plated pears standing upright, you’ll need to boil them whole, but cut the bottom 1/2 inch off the pear so the pear can easily stand upright without falling over for a while. when you plate it later. It just depends on your serving preferences.

3. Add the pears to the pot, cover and simmer until tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 to 30 minutes, turning the pears gently every 5 minutes with a wooden spoon.

4. Turn off the heat and let the pears and cooking liquid cool to room temperature. If serving same day, proceed to next step. If you will serve it the next day, cover with the lid and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

5. Heat the pot until the liquid boils. Remove the pears from the cooking liquid and set aside.

6. Strain the solid part of the poaching liquid and boil the remaining liquid with ¼ cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan until it thickens to a syrup-like consistency. Remove from heat.

7. Serve the poached pears with a ladle of poaching liquid and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Pears poached in red wine and cranberries

Quantity per serving

Calories 466
Calories from fat 9

% daily value*

Fat 1 g2%

Saturated fat 0.1 g1%

Polyunsaturated fats 0.2 g

Monounsaturated fats 0.2 g

Sodium 12 mg1%

Potassium 491 mg14%

Carbohydrates 93g31%

7g fiber29%

Sugar 77g86%

Protein 1 g2%

Vitamin A 80 IU2%

Vitamin C 13 mg16%

Soccer 45 mg5%

Iron 1 mg6%

*Percent Daily Values ​​are based on a 2000 calorie diet.