Pere al vino rosso
by Frank F in User ContributedPears poached in mulled red wine. The dish is extremely easy to make, but the result is rather beautiful—and elegant enough for an 'important' dinner.
Comments
Step 1: Prep the pears
Peel each pear (it is easier to do this lengthwise), leaving the stem on the pear.
- 1 pear per person
Step 2: Adding the wine and flavorings
Then place them snugly in a saucepan with just enough room to hold the pears in a single layer. Pour on about half a bottle of red wine (or more, depending on the size of the pan and how many pears you have). Ideally, the wine should cover the pears, but if not, you always turn the pears as they cook. Then add sugar—quite a bit of sugar, as you want to create a syrup: about 100g (one cup) or more for 4 pears. Add, too, a stick of cinnamon and some cloves, and if you like, some lemon or orange zest.
- 500g red wine
- 100g sugar
- a cinnamon stick
- a few cloves
- a strip of lemon or orange zest (optional)
Step 3: Poaching the pears
Allow the pears to simmer for about 20 minutes, turning them if need be so that they cook and color evenly, until they are quite tender but not falling apart. (You can use a paring knife to check if they are done.)
Step 4: Reducing the wine and finishing the dish
Remove the pears onto a shallow serving bowl or plate, and continue to simmer the wine until has reduced into a syrupy consistency, then strain and pour over the pears. Allow the pears and their sauce to cool before serving.
Notes
This is a great solution for pears that may not be particularly flavorful by themselves. Use pears that are just ripe or slightly underripe. Very ripe pears will turn to mush. The choice of wine is yours, but personally I enjoy a full-bodied wine for this purpose. Of course, I would not break out your most expensive vintage. In fact, this is a good way to use some already opened bottle that is no longer quite fit to drink.
Some people like to accompany these pears with a bit of whipped cream, ice cream or some dried fruits, but personally I think that they are perfect served alone, just as they are.
