Wine Poached Pears
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It was a rare thing, for my father to cook. But every so often, when my mom had a party to attend, dad would be king of the kitchen. For dinner, it was either stuffed artichokes or steak and onions. What we always looked forward to, was his poached pears. He had a sweet tooth and it was practically a guarantee.Food isn’t typically a memory I associate with my dad, so this dish has a special place in my heart. The aroma of wine, cinnamon, anise, and citrus in the air. The powerful but not overwhelming sweet flavor. It brings me comfort.
None of us ever had the opportunity to get a recipe from him, so I had to call in my test kitchen crew. My mother and 2 of my
sisters (Jo and Ang). We gathered in my little kitchen, made a big mess, and all at a very high volume. I think what we came up with fits my memory well. I hope you enjoy
1. Gently peel pears, leaving the stems intact.
2. In a large pot, dissolve sugar in wine. Once dissolved, add spices, vanilla bean, lemon/orange peels and pears. Add enough water to cover pears, bring to a boil.
3. When wine mixture comes to boil, reduce heat to a simmer.
4. Cover by making a cartouche, which is simply a parchment paper lid. This keeps the pears submerged in the poaching liquid, and reduces spill over.
5. Simmer for 40 min, until pears are tender when pierced with fork
6. Remove poached pears, cover and set aside.
7. Strain wine mixture and place liquid back in pot, boil and reduce until thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon (30-40 min), remove from stove and allow to cool. Keep in mind, the reduced liquid will become a little thicker once cooled.
8. While wine is cooling, you can prepare your mascarpone whipped cream. In a large bowl whip room temperature mascarpone cream with ¼ cup of confectioners sugar. In another bowl, whip heavy cream, and then gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone sugar mixture.
9. Serve pears at room temp with a dollop or in my case two of the mascarpone whipped cream and spoon sauce over pears to your preference.
None of us ever had the opportunity to get a recipe from him, so I had to call in my test kitchen crew. My mother and 2 of my
sisters (Jo and Ang). We gathered in my little kitchen, made a big mess, and all at a very high volume. I think what we came up with fits my memory well. I hope you enjoy
1. Gently peel pears, leaving the stems intact.
2. In a large pot, dissolve sugar in wine. Once dissolved, add spices, vanilla bean, lemon/orange peels and pears. Add enough water to cover pears, bring to a boil.
3. When wine mixture comes to boil, reduce heat to a simmer.
4. Cover by making a cartouche, which is simply a parchment paper lid. This keeps the pears submerged in the poaching liquid, and reduces spill over.
5. Simmer for 40 min, until pears are tender when pierced with fork
6. Remove poached pears, cover and set aside.
7. Strain wine mixture and place liquid back in pot, boil and reduce until thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon (30-40 min), remove from stove and allow to cool. Keep in mind, the reduced liquid will become a little thicker once cooled.
8. While wine is cooling, you can prepare your mascarpone whipped cream. In a large bowl whip room temperature mascarpone cream with ¼ cup of confectioners sugar. In another bowl, whip heavy cream, and then gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone sugar mixture.
9. Serve pears at room temp with a dollop or in my case two of the mascarpone whipped cream and spoon sauce over pears to your preference.
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