Spiced Wine Poached Pears
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 pears
- 1 x 750 ml bottle red wine
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 strips orange rind
- 1 vanilla bean split
- vanilla ice cream to serve
Instructions
- Begin by peeling the pears. Leave the stems intact if possible. The core can be left in or removed. To remove the core, slice off the bottom of the pear. Use a melon baller or a paring knife to scoop out the core. Otherwise, leave the core intact and slice the off the bottom of the pear so that they will stand upright.
- Pour the wine into a deep saucepan wide enough to hold all of the pears lying down. Add the sugar, cinnamon stick, and orange rind. Use a paring knife to slice the vanilla bean open and add to the wine.
- Bring the wine to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the pears into the simmering liquid, laying them on their sides. If desired, cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit on top of the pears. This helps to prevent evaporation of the wine and keeps the pears from drying out on top. Otherwise keep the lid on while poaching.
- Simmer the pears for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn the pears over every five minutes so that they colour evenly. The pears are done when a paring knife easily pierces the flesh.
- When the pears are cooked, remove them from the poaching liquid. Set aside. Bring the poaching liquid up to a boil. Continue to boil uncovered until it reduces to a syrup. This should take 10 to 15 minutes.
- Reduce the liquid down to one cup – it should be slightly syrupy in consistency. The syrup will thicken even more once it cools. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, and orange rind. Let cool.
- The pears can be served warm or cold depending on preference. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired. Drizzle with a generous amount of the spiced wine syrup and enjoy!