Red Wine Poached Pears
Whole peeled pears simmered gently in red wine, water, sugar and a cinnamon stick until they are tender all the way through and stained red. Around forty minutes, and they are better made the day before. Serves eight.
Servings: 8
Calories: 325kcal
Ingredients
- 8 pears firm, peeled
- 500 ml aged red wine a crianza, or any dry red
- 350 g sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 800 ml water
Instructions
- Peel the pears, leaving them whole.
- Stand them in a pot, put it over medium-low heat and pour in the wine, the water and the sugar, and add the cinnamon stick.
- Once it comes to a boil, cover the pot and let it cook until the pears are tender and the syrup has thickened.
- Keep the heat medium-low the whole time. Rushing it cooks the outside to mush before the middle softens, and getting them right takes somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes. They are done when a skewer goes through to the core with no resistance.
- Let them cool in the syrup and serve.
Notes
Let them cool in the syrup rather than lifting them out. That is when the colour goes deep and even, and it is the reason these are better made the day before and left in the fridge overnight in their liquid. If the liquid does not cover the pears, turn them halfway through or one side comes out red and the other pale. Firm pears hold their shape; a pear that is already soft in the bowl will fall apart in the pot. If the syrup is still thin when the pears are done, lift them out and boil it down on its own until it coats a spoon.
Nutrition
Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 47IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg